OXNARD : Motorcyclist Dies During CHP Chase
An Oxnard man was killed following a police chase through Oxnard and Ventura during which his speed on a motorcycle exceeded 100 m.p.h., police said Monday.
The victim was identified by the Ventura County coroner as Gaston Angel Bastanchury, 22.
Police said the man was being chased late Sunday by two California Highway Patrol officers in a patrol car when he apparently lost control of his Suzuki motorcycle about 11:49 p.m., striking a sidewalk at Ventura Road and Ivywood Drive in Oxnard. The coroner said Bastanchury died a few minutes later.
According to an Oxnard police report, the CHP officers spotted the man about 11:45 p.m. speeding north on Victoria Avenue near Gonzales Road in excess of 80 to 90 m.p.h. “passing vehicles on the right-hand side of the roadway.”
As the officers attempted to force him to stop at Valentine Road and Victoria Avenue in Ventura, he made a U-turn and sped south on Victoria in excess of 100 m.p.h., police said.
“The CHP officers were forced to withdraw from the pursuit,” but a few minutes later they found the man at Ventura Road and Ivywood Drive, police said. “The victim apparently struck the sidewalk at that intersection, lost control and came to rest approximately 300 feet from the intersection,” police said.
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