“This is a perfect example of how things can turn tragic in just a moment. This entire incident lasted about 6 minutes,” said Lt. Brian Winter of the Visalia Police Dept.
Lt. Brian Winter of Visalia Police says that around 11:30 Friday night, two officers tried pulling over a car in the city near Locust and 1st for a traffic violation, but the driver took off. The suspect led officers on an 8 mile long chase that reached speeds of up to 100 mph on the freeway.
“Because of the speed of the vehicle, it lost control and crashed into an empty dirt field,” said Lt. Winter.
The car flipped in Goshen, near 99 and Drive 69. Three officers rushed to help the people inside, but were met with gunfire.
“All three officers returned fire and three suspects were shot from that vehicle,” said Lt. Winter.
Two men died at the scene and the third was injured and taken to the hospital. Officers recovered two handguns outside the car.
“Pretty crazy, especially here in Goshen, nothing really happens here,” said Steven Barajas, a man who lives in the area.
All of the action shook up people who live in nearby neighborhoods.
“It’s good that they got them, especially since they had weapons and stuff like that,” said Barajas.
“Thank god it was late at night and not in the daytime when little kids were running around because there’s always kids running around in Goshen,” said an unidentified woman.
There were a total of 5 people in the car. A man and a woman stayed inside after the crash. They were not hurt, however, they were arrested.
The Tulare Co. Sheriff’s Dept. is handling the criminal aspect of this investigation. Their focus right now is on the background of these suspects and why they chose to run.
