Historic Folsom Building Damaged After Deadly End To High-Speed Crash

FOLSOM (CBS13) — A high speed chase ended in a fatal crash when a driver slammed into a building in old town Folsom.

"It was a fatal, so it was very shocking for us," said Helene Hopper, who works at Maribou Salon at Sutter, the scene of a fatal crash.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department says around 3 a.m. deputies tried to pull over the driver after they discovered her car had stolen plates. When she didn't stop, a pursuit began.

Deputies chased the suspect from Arden Arcade to Folsom. At one point, officers placed a spike strip in the roadway to slow down the driver, but all it did was puncture one tire. The driver continued down Madison Avenue with speeds reaching up to 100 mph.

Sgt TonyTurnbull, with the Sheriff's Department, says as the driver came across Rainbow Bridge, she lost control and crashed.

"(The driver) wasn't able to negotiate the turn and crashed into the side of the building," he said.

"We got lucky because there was the wall. Supposedly there was metal bar that stopped the car, otherwise, it would be here in the middle of the salon," explained Hopper.

Salon staff came in early to help with clean up and with rescheduling. Being the holidays, this is a busy time of year for them. To help out, other salons have offered space for Maribou stylists to come work until the store can reopen.

"The community has been great," said Hopper.

As the investigating continues, many are concerned with the how fast the deputies were chasing the driver. Sgt. Turnbull assures that his deputies proceeded with caution.

Marina Longacre, who works nearby, still wonders why the driver just didn't stop.

"It sucks. I Think she should have just stopped. It's not worth your life," said Longacre.