Motorcyclist being pursued by state parks officer dies in Descanso crash

A motorcyclist being pursued by a California state parks peace officer died Sunday night when he crashed in the Descanso area, officials said.

The crash occurred around 9 p.m. after the parks officer attempted a traffic stop in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and the rider took off instead, said state parks spokesperson Jorge Moreno.

“The short pursuit ended with the motorcyclist sustaining fatal injuries from a single-vehicle crash” along Viejas Boulevard near the Merrigan Trailhead Day-Use Area in the state park, Moreno said in an email.

The officer immediately began CPR on the rider, and called for paramedics and the California Highway Patrol. According to a Cal Fire spokesperson, the rider was in a field area when firefighter-paramedics arrived. They provided medical care, but the man, who was in his 30s, could not be revived.

A motorcycle helmet was found at the scene but it was not known if he was wearing it at the time of the crash, the Cal Fire spokesperson said.

No information was available as to why the parks officer was trying to pull over the rider. It also wasn’t known how fast the rider was traveling at the time of the fatal crash.

A CHP spokesperson could not be reached Monday.

Moreno said the CHP’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team is leading the investigation into the crash.