Anonymous
Source: California Highway Patrol (CHP)
On September 4, 2018, a major injury hit and run traffic collision occurred on Butterfly Lane, just north of Channel Drive at approximately 4:04 p.m. The Ventura Police Department (VPD) had been in pursuit of the involved Chevrolet Impala for reckless driving on US-101.
The Chevrolet exited the freeway in an attempt to evade VPD. VPD pursued the Chevrolet westbound on Channel Drive east of Butterfly Lane. The driver turned right onto Butterfly Lane and collided into a pedestrian, Mrs. Jennifer Jan Jensen, who was walking with her two friends along the west roadway edge. After striking Mrs. Jensen, the Chevrolet collided with a large wall on the opposite side of the roadway. VPD detained the 2 passengers, who were inside the Chevrolet, and were later arrested by Santa Barbara CHP.
The driver fled the scene at the time of the collision and after an extensive investigation has now been apprehended. Santa Barbara CHP officers teamed up with our Investigative Services Unit out of the Coastal Division Office.
Investigators followed every lead and located the suspect; Derrick John Thompson. An arrest warrant was written by Santa Barbara CHP and issued by the Santa Barbara Superior Court. The St. Paul Gang Task Force in Minnesota apprehended and Thompson was extradited from Minnesota to Santa Barbara by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office.
Thompson was booked in Santa Barbara County Jail for the following violations: 20001(a) VC, 2800.3(a) VC, 182 PC, 11359(b) H&S, 148 (a)(1)PC.
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There are a lot of questions around why the VPD felt they had to continue the chase onto city streets. I hear they were travelling in excess of 50 + before the accident. I tend to support the police in most cases, but this raises some serious questions. This was a reckless driver (not a murder suspect) and it resulted in an innocent person sustaining life altering injuries. In my opinion, the VPD made the wrong decision by not discontinuing the chase. Was there no air support available?
VPD was very much out of their jurisdiction and failed to notify SB County they were in the area. As the old man would say, ‘you cant out run Motorola’.
In no way, shape or form am I excusing what these men did when they hit that woman . . . However, I have been in that area often and sometimes see pedestrians/beachgoers walking abreast, so that one or more people are kind of straggling onto the road and not keeping as far to the side as they could do. When these dudes made that right turn, I am willing to bet that the woman hit wasn’t keeping off the asphalt and had a false sense of security about traffic coming toward her and her friends. It’s a terrible shame. Such a collision has likely ruined her health, at least to some extent. And those men whose vehicle sent her flying have had their lives ruined by what truly was, despite their reckless driving, not a deliberate act of malice.