Motorcyclist Dies After Freeway Chase
A motorcyclist being chased by city police on the Riverside Freeway died late Saturday night after losing control of the cycle and striking a bridge rail, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The Orange County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Edwin T. Thompson Jr., 33, of Calimesa in Riverside County.
The incident occurred about 11:10 p.m. The CHP said Anaheim police had tried to stop Thompson, reportedly riding a stolen motorcycle, on Beach Boulevard. He paused briefly to allow a female passenger to get off, then drove onto the eastbound Riverside Freeway at Beach Boulevard. The CHP said Thompson lost control and struck a bridge railing near the juncture of the Riverside and Orange freeways. The impact threw him over the side of the bridge. He died shortly afterward at Kaiser Permanente Hospital-Orange County in Anaheim, the CHP said.
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