Driver in stolen car triggers police pursuit through Fallbrook

The driver of a vehicle reported stolen out of Riverside County led California Highway Patrol officers on a chase through Fallbrook before crashing in Oceanside Tuesday morning, a CHP spokesman said.

The California Highway Patrol got word shortly after 10 a.m. that Riverside County sheriff's deputies were chasing Rollin Cyrus Wilkerson, 33, toward the San Diego area, CHP spokesman Mark Latulippe said.

Around 10:20 a.m., an officer with CHP's Oceanside division happened to be patrolling on southbound Interstate 15 when he noticed Wilkerson speed by at "over 100 miles per hour," according to Latulippe. The officer gave chase, tailing Wilkerson down various roads in Fallbrook.

At one point, WIlkerson sideswiped a car on South Mission Road. It wasn't clear if the occupants of the vehicle the suspect struck were badly injured.

San Diego County sheriff's deputies detained an apparent suspect at the intersection of South Mission Road and Beech Street, sheriff's Lt. Ricardo Lopez confirmed. However, it was determined that person was not connected to the chase and he was let go, Lopez said.

CHP officers continued chasing Wilkerson as he left the Fallbrook area and headed west on state Route 76 into Oceanside. The suspect made it past El Camino Real before he struck a center barrier and overturned off the roadway, Latulippe said.

Officers found the suspect struggling to get out of the crumpled vehicle. They broke a window to get him out of the wreckage, after which medics airlifted him to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla for a precautionary exam.

The Menifee resident was expected to be booked on various charges, including robbery, reckless driving and evading law enforcement personnel.

Will Fritz can be reached by email at [email protected].

City News Service contributed to this story

5:40 p.m.: This story was updated with additional details and information about a suspect who was detained by San Diego County sheriff's deputies in Fallbrook.