2 dead after being ejected from car in fiery oncoming crash at end of chase in Pomona

Two people were killed when they were thrown from a car during a chase that ended in oncoming traffic in Pomona Friday evening.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the collision occurred around 5:45 p.m. as the suspects in a BMW X6 fled from pursuing officers on the I-10 Freeway near Kellogg Drive.

According to police, the suspects had entered the highway and were driving in the wrong direction when at some point they lost control, veered off the road and crashed into a dirt embankment. The force of the impact ejected two of the occupants from the interior.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene after the car rolled over several times and landed on the ejected victims. One of the men was identified Saturday by the Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner as 34-year-old Joey Gomez. The second victim was identified Sunday as Jose Caudillo, 38.

The driver, 30-year-old Erick Daniel Bolanos of Montclair, was taken into custody after attempting to flee the scene of the accident. It is unclear whether they were injured in the accident.

According to police, another passenger, identified as a 45-year-old man, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.

All westbound lanes of the highway are closed while the investigation continues, as is the junction between northbound SR-71 and westbound I-10 and the Kellogg Drive exit. Police are diverting traffic onto southbound SR-71.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation and police have not yet revealed exactly why they pursued the suspects in the first place.