SF man identified as motorcyclist who died in Bay Bridge crash
Gwendolyn Wu May 1, 2019 Updated: May 1, 2019 3:58 p.m.
SF man identified as motorcyclist who died in Bay Bridge...
1of3A motorcycle was involved in an accident near the Fremont Street off-ramp on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco on Tuesday, April 30, 2019.Photo: Chris Preovolos / Hearst Newspapers
2of3Westbound traffic on the Bay Bridge slowed to a crawl after three lanes were closed while California Highway Patrol officers investigated a motorcycle accident in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. It took some commuters more than an hour to cross the bridge from the East Bay.Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle
A motorcyclist who allegedly fled from officers during a traffic stop and fatally crashed on the Bay Bridge was identified Wednesday as a San Francisco resident.
Jose Vargas, 36, died at San Francisco General Hospital on Tuesday morning following a short pursuit on Interstate 80, according to the San Francisco medical examiner's office and California Highway Patrol.
The crash shut down multiple lanes on the bridge during the morning rush hour, snarling traffic for hours.
A CHP motorcycle officer tried to pull Vargas over in the right lane around 7:35 a.m. Tuesday for failing to show a license plate and traveling at a high speed, authorities said Wednesday.
The officer pulled up on Vargas' left side without activating his sirens and asked him to pull over at the next stop, said Bert Diaz, a CHP spokesman.
Instead, Vargas allegedly took off and crossed over four lanes to the left side of the roadway, crashing into the back of a box truck near the Fremont Street off-ramp. Vargas might have lost control of his motorcycle, Diaz said.
"The officer was never in a position to make an enforcement stop because of the speed," Diaz said.
By Gwendolyn Wu, San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Ashley McBride and Michael Cabanatuan contributed to this story.
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Officials said an off-duty CHP officer pulled over when the crash occurred, performing first aid until paramedics arrived.
Investigators later discovered that Vargas did not have a motorcycle license and are still looking into why he evaded the traffic stop, Diaz said.
Traffic backed up for several hours past the toll plaza on the Oakland side of the bridge as officials cleared the scene.
Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @gwendolynawu
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Gwendolyn Wu is a reporter who covers breaking news in San Francisco. Prior to joining the Chronicle staff, she wrote for the Santa Barbara Independent and San Francisco magazine. She is originally from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, and graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2018. Wu is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association. Her interests include testing new recipes and exploring used bookstores.
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