Bakersfield, CA (June 18, 2024) On Saturday, June 15, a frightening collision happened that affected multiple vehicles and people.
Reports say that the vehicle that caused the crash was involved in a high-speed chase. Police attempted a traffic stop at about 12:10 a.m., but the person they pulled over fled. Little did they know that just 40 seconds later, the vehicle would smash into multiple others.
The suspect was going around 100 miles per hour when they lost control of their car at an intersection next to Stella’s Sandtrap, a Bakersfield bar. The bar is located at 3133 Niles Street.
When the driver of the car lost control, they started spinning out. During the spin, the car slammed into multiple other vehicles. Finally, it hit a customer’s car so hard that it was shoved into the establishment, smashing through the walls. Bar owner Jimmy Browder stated that the car went about halfway through the bar.
One person whose identity is currently unclear was hospitalized after the incident. We do not know what condition they are in. They were hit by the car, as were two others who thankfully only reported minor injuries. The driver, 22-year-old Manuel Gonzalez, was taken to Kern Medical.
Later, Gonzalez was booked into Kern County Jail for evading, driver’s license violations, and traffic offenses.
