Pedestrian Killed After Fleeing Vehicle Crashes During Bakersfield Police Pursuit

A man on the sidewalk was killed after the vehicle lost control

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A police pursuit ended in a fatal crash early Saturday, September 5, after a fleeing vehicle struck an adult man on the west sidewalk of Airport Drive, according to an account released by the Bakersfield Police Department and reported by 23ABC.

BPD said the crash occurred after officers placed spike strips near Airport Drive and Olive Drive. Police said the driver tried to avoid the strips, lost control and hit the pedestrian. The man was pronounced dead at the scene; authorities had not publicly identified him in the reviewed reporting.

The California Highway Patrol's official incident page independently listed a 1:41 a.m. injury incident in the 534–698 block of Airport Drive under its Bakersfield communications center. CHP categorized the entry as a hit-and-run with injuries. That dispatch classification confirms an incident at the location and time but does not, by itself, resolve criminal responsibility or identify the person who died.

Read the source: 23ABC: BPD account of the Airport Drive pursuit and fatal collision ↗

Police say the pursuit began while officers sought a wanted man

According to BPD's account, Special Enforcement Unit officers were trying to locate 21-year-old Isaiah Andrade at about 1:30 a.m. Police said Andrade had an active Ramey warrant involving alleged firearm possession and gang-related offenses and that officers believed he might still have the firearm.

Officers reported seeing Andrade near Clover Mountain Court and Pine Meadow Drive. BPD said he entered the passenger side of a vehicle when officers moved to arrest him and that the vehicle then fled.

Police identified the driver as 20-year-old Gabriel Lopez and said he continued at high speed southbound on Airport Drive. The speed described by police had not been independently established in the official material reviewed by What’s the Scoop With Broach, and no conclusion about the pursuit's compliance with department policy has been announced.

Read the source: California Highway Patrol: Bakersfield traffic-incident activity ↗

Two arrests are confirmed; the charges are still allegations

BPD said Lopez and Andrade ran from the vehicle after the crash and were quickly taken into custody. The department reported a minor use of force during the arrests and said both men were taken to a hospital for medical clearance before booking.

Police said the expected bookings involve alleged firearm possession, gang activity, felony evading and Andrade's warrant. The initial public account does not assign every listed allegation to both men, and it does not establish that either man has been convicted of a crime arising from Saturday's events.

CHP is handling the traffic-collision investigation and will determine what collision- or death-related charges, if any, should be referred when that work is complete. An arrest, warrant or proposed charge is not proof of guilt. Prosecutors must decide what to file, and the government must prove any filed charge in court.

Read the source: Bakersfield Police Department: official department and contact information ↗

The pursuit itself is under administrative review

BPD classified the episode as a critical incident and opened an administrative investigation. That review is separate from CHP's collision investigation and from the criminal investigation involving the two arrested men.

The initial account says officers deployed spike strips as an intervention and that the fleeing vehicle swerved before hitting the pedestrian. It does not answer every question about pursuit speeds, the duration and route of the chase, supervisory authorization, the exact distance between police vehicles and the fleeing car, or whether other tactics were available.

Those questions should be answered with dispatch recordings, vehicle and body-camera video, collision reconstruction, written pursuit policy and a clear timeline. Demanding those records is not a claim that officers caused the death, just as repeating the word 'suspect' does not settle whether every police decision was reasonable. A bystander died, and the public deserves a complete accounting from every agency involved.

Read the source: Bakersfield Police Department: critical-incident community debriefings ↗

What remains unknown

The pedestrian's name, age and reason for being on the sidewalk were not released in the reviewed reporting. The Kern County Coroner's Office is expected to identify him after notification procedures. His location on a public sidewalk does not make him responsible for the vehicle leaving the roadway.

Authorities had not announced a filed homicide charge, a court appearance or the final collision findings. The police description is an official preliminary account, not a jury verdict or a substitute for evidence that may later become public.

BPD asked anyone with information to call 661-327-7111. People who witnessed the pursuit or crash should preserve original video and provide it directly to investigators rather than editing clips, naming unconfirmed victims or publishing unsupported claims about fault.

Read the source: Wikimedia Commons: BPD cruiser photograph and public-domain dedication ↗

About the image

The accompanying image is an authentic June 7, 2008 photograph of a Bakersfield Police Department patrol cruiser. It is a file image and does not show Saturday's pursuit, the fatal crash, the pedestrian, either arrested man or any officer involved.

Photographer Defiant15E released the image into the public domain through Wikimedia Commons. It is used as documentary agency context and does not imply endorsement by the photographer, BPD or Wikimedia Commons.