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1 injured in fiery collision following chase near Pala

UPDATE: Thursday, Feb. 1, 12:30 a.m.

Both sides of State Route 76 near Pala had reopened shortly after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, ending a closure that began earlier in the afternoon when a motorist, trying to evade deputies, crashed into a transit bus.

Authorities began chasing the driver, believed to be the subject of an arrest warrant, about 4:15 p.m. That driver crashed about two minutes later near where the 76 meets Pala Mission Road.

He was taken to the hospital following the incident but it wasn't clear how severely he was injured Wednesday night.

Original story:

At least one person suffered serious injuries this afternoon when a motorist who refused to yield for a traffic stop got into a fiery collision with a transit van on a rural North County road, authorities reported.

Deputies began chasing the driver, who was believed to be the subject of an arrest warrant, on state Route 76 near Pala Mission Road in the Pala area about 4:15 p.m., according to sheriff's officials.

The chase ended roughly two minutes later, when the SUV the suspect was driving plowed into an oncoming North County Transit vehicle and caught fire, sheriff's Lt. Glenn Giannantonio said.

After being freed from the burning wreckage by emergency personnel, the suspect, whose name was not immediately available, was taken to a hospital with injuries of unknown severity, the lieutenant said.

No other injuries were reported.

The wreck left the highway blocked in the area into the early evening.

Shortly before 7 p.m., both sides of State Route 76 remained closed and the closure was expected to remain in place for another two hours, according to a California Highway Patrol incident report.

The westbound lanes of the 76 were blocked at Pala Del Norte Road and the eastbound lanes were block at Rice Canyon Road.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as information becomes available.

 

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