Black Marine thief arrested following pursuit crash in Escondido that killed woman, 18, and injured another

[Black Larcenist Maggots]

A passenger in a pickup truck was killed and another woman was
injured when the driver, a Marine lance corporal, crashed while
being pursued by Escondido police, authorities said Tuesday.

The driver, identified as 21-year-old John Eugene Brand who was
stationed at U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Air Station Miramar, was
arrested and jailed on suspicion of multiple charges, the Escondido
Police Department said.

At about 10:28 p.m. Monday, officers responded to Dick's Sporting
Goods on Auto Park Way after reports of a man and two women stealing
merchandise.

As officers arrived, the suspects entered a pickup truck and fled
the scene, authorities said. Officers pursued the truck east through
Escondido onto Washington Avenue, where the driver tried to make a
high-speed turn onto Fig Street but lost control and collided with a
retaining wall.

The USMC 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing originally said the crashed truck
was a government vehicle that was considered stolen at the time of
the crash but later said the circumstances around the incident was
still under investigation so that was not yet confirmed. Stolen
articles of clothing were recovered from the truck, police said.

The two female passengers were ejected, and the driver ran away.
Both women were taken to a hospital, police said, where one was
pronounced dead.

The deceased woman was identified Tuesday night as Shevondia
Compare-Bell, 18, of San Diego.

The second woman underwent surgery and was expected to survive. She
told investigating officers that she asked the driver to pull over
several times, but he refused to let her out of the vehicle, police
said.

The names of the two women were withheld pending notification to
their families.

Brand was arrested after officers allegedly found him hiding a block
from the crash scene. He was taken to the Vista Detention Facility
and booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, kidnapping,
evading police, hit and run resulting in death or injury, burglary
and conspiracy.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/one-woman-killed-another-
injured-in-escondido-pursuit-crash/3384186/