A 47-year-old Lompoc man being pursued by Vandenberg Space Force Base security personnel died Monday night in a single-vehicle, rollover crash on Highway 135 south of Orcutt, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Firefighters and other emergency personnel were dispatched at about 9:50 p.m. to Highway 135 underneath the Highway 1 bridge, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
The vehicle was northbound on Highway 1 when it failed to negotiate the curve at the intersection with Highway 135, the CHP said.
The full-size GMC pickup left the roadway, became airborne, and overturned, landing on its roof, the CHP said.
The vehicle sustained major damage, and the male driver and sole occupant was trapped in the wreckage, fire Capt. Nikki Stevens told Noozhawk.
A Calstar medical helicopter was dispatched to the scene but was canceled after the patient passed away.
The name of the victim, who was declared dead at the scene, was not released pending notification of relatives.
It was not immediately known why the pickup truck was being pursued by Vandenberg personnel.
The highway was shut down for a time after the crash, which was under investigation of the CHP.
Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.