A high-speed chase near Healdsburg ended in rural Sonoma County Sunday morning when a driver slammed their Mercedes sedan into a tree, engulfing the car in flames and killing the driver.
The California Highway Patrol said an officer was patrolling northbound US-101 at 9:55 a.m. when he spotted a vehicle traveling southbound at more than 100 miles per hour. He made a U-turn and tried to pull over the Mercedes.
The Mercedes exited the freeway at Dry Creek Road and continued west into rural Sonoma County. The officer briefly lost sight of the vehicle before rounding a corner and finding it crashed into a tree.
The CHP said in a statement that the officer unsuccessfully tried pulling the unconscious driver from the vehicle before a fast-moving fire engulfed it. Firefighters put the fire out, but the driver died at the scene.
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The CHP Golden Gate Division Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team is assisting with this investigation.
