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Jose Mario Velez

Age : 47

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 06/28/2021

Location : Northbound Highway 1 near mile-marker 135 (near Orcutt)

City : Lompoc

County : Santa Barbara

State : California

Agency : Vandenberg Space Force Base Security Forces, California Highway Patrol

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Driver killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON FOR POLICE CHASE:
Erratic driving and repeatedly failing to remain within the traffic lane. At approximately 9:30 p.m., Vandenberg Space Force Base 30th Security Forces Squadron patrolmen observed Jose Mario Velez driving a GMC Denali on Highway 1. Base officials alleged that Velez was driving erratically and repeatedly leaving his lane. Security Forces patrolmen attempted a traffic stop, and Velez continued driving away at high speed while they pursued.
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OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY:
On 06/28/2021, 47-year-old Jose Mario Velez of Lompoc was killed when his GMC Denali left Highway 1 and rolled down an embankment during a pursuit by Vandenberg Space Force Base Security Forces near the Highway 135 interchange in Santa Barbara County. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office subsequently publicly identified Velez.
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At approximately 9:30 p.m., 30th Security Forces Squadron patrolmen reported seeing Velez driving erratically and repeatedly failing to stay within his lane on Highway 1. They initiated a traffic stop. According to Vandenberg officials, Velez continued driving away at high speed and Security Forces pursued him.
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At approximately 9:45 p.m., while traveling north on Highway 1 near its interchange with Highway 135, Velez failed to negotiate a curve. His GMC struck a mile-marker post, continued onto the dirt shoulder, became airborne and went down an embankment.
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The GMC landed upside down on the right shoulder of Highway 135 and slid into a metal guardrail. The wreckage was severely damaged, trapping Velez inside and requiring a major extrication operation by firefighters.
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Emergency personnel reached the crash scene at approximately 9:47 p.m. Firefighters were initially unable to open the vehicle and reach Velez because of the extensive damage. Crews removed him from the wreckage at approximately 10:40 p.m., and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The California Highway Patrol investigated the fatal collision. Vandenberg Space Force Base also opened an investigation into the pursuit and crash.
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There is an important date error in the existing database record for Velez: the incident occurred on 06/28/2021, not 12/06/2021. Contemporary reporting published June 28–30 documents the crash, and the Sheriff's Office identified Velez on June 30.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The 30th Security Forces Squadron patrolmen who attempted the traffic stop and pursued Velez have not been publicly identified in the contemporary reporting or other publicly indexed material located for this case.
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DISPOSITION:
The involved Vandenberg Space Force Base Security Forces patrolmen were not criminally charged for their roles in initiating or participating in the pursuit.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://keyt.com/news/traffic/2021/06/28/driver-being-pursued-by-space-force-base-security-killed-in-rollover-crash/
https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/fatal-vehicle-rollover-closes-part-of-highway-1/
https://keyt.com/news/santa-maria-north-county/2021/06/30/sheriffs-office-identifies-man-killed-in-crash-during-law-enforcement-pursuit/
https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/lompoc-man-killed-after-crashing-during-pursuit-identified
https://www.edhat.com/news/fatal-traffic-collision-on-hwy-1-near-vandenberg/