A California Highway Patrol cruiser. (File photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego)
A car struck and killed a pedestrian early Wednesday on Interstate 5 in Middletown, prompting an investigation into how the man ended up in the freeway lanes.
The incident occurred about 6:40 a.m., according to California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Kimberly Gonzalez. An unidentified male pedestrian was struck by a Toyota Prius on northbound I-5, south of Sassafras Street.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, she said. The driver of the Prius stopped and cooperated with investigators.
A toxicology report will be completed through the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine whether drugs or alcohol played a role.
The man’s name was withheld pending family notification.
Anyone who witnessed this crash was asked by the CHP to call the San Diego area office at 858-293-6000.
A Border Patrol SUV. (File photo courtesy of OnScene.TV
Border Patrol agents stopped a vehicle this week that contained nearly 17 pounds of fentanyl, authorities said, and took the driver into custody.
It’s the latest drug seizure in the agency’s San Diego Sector, where agents have confiscated 184 pounds of narcotics since Dec. 4.
Agents from the San Clemente Station on Tuesday conducted a vehicle stop on northbound Interstate 5, the Border Patrol said in a news release. A search under the front seats uncovered seven packages of fentanyl weighing 16.75 pounds, which had an estimated street value of $64,600.
In three other cases this month out of the San Clemente Station, agents made I-5 stops and seized more fentanyl –12.24 pounds, with an estimated street value of $47,175; 25.79 pounds, valued at $99,450 and 23.48 pounds, valued at $90,525.
In the second incident, they also found 31 pounds of heroin.
In an additional stop, in Murrieta, agents searched a vehicle on Interstate 15 and discovered 75 pounds of drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl.
In each case, authorities took the driver into custody. Three are U.S. citizens, one is a permanent legal resident and another, a Mexican citizen.
“The significant quantity of fentanyl and other dangerous narcotics that our agents have seized in the past two weeks represents millions of lethal doses,” said San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre. “Whether it is shutting down human traffickers or preventing deadly drugs from entering our country, border security saves lives.”
The backup on Interstate 5 in the early-morning hours Saturday Nov. 22, 2025 after a motorist was shot by law enforcement. (Photo courtesy of OnScene.TV)
A police pursuit ended in Oceanside Saturday with a shooting involving law enforcement that shut down Interstate 5 for hours, authorities said.
The shooting left the suspect with “major injuries,” according to the California Highway Patrol, which said a firearm was recovered at the scene.
Officers with the Buena Park Police Department attempted to pull over a gray 2005 Cadillac CTS for a traffic violation at about 12:45 a.m. Saturday, near the intersection of La Palma Avenue and San Marino Drive, authorities said.
The driver took off, leading officers on a pursuit through Orange County, Long Beach and back into Orange County on southbound I-5, Buena Park Sgt. Martin Tomsick said.
Officers turned the pursuit over to the California Highway Patrol at 1:05 a.m., but kept their K-9 Unit involved in the chase at the request of the CHP, according to Tomsick.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office dispatched aerial drones at 2:15 a.m. to assist with finding the suspect, according to SDSO Lt. Sean Gallagher.
Tomsick said the pursuit ended in gunfire on southbound I-5 in the Camp Pendleton area and that a Buena Park K-9 officer and at least one CHP officer fired their weapons at a suspect. It appeared no officers were injured, he said.
In a late evening news release, the CHP added details about the shooting, saying that the Cadillac driver, armed with a handgun, exited the vehicle and fled on foot just prior to the shooting.
For several hours the suspect remained in a “large brush area” in the median between the northbound and southbound lanes of the freeway north of Harbor Drive, the CHP said. Despite commands from CHP and Buena Park officers, the suspect refused to surrender and remained uncooperative until 7:40 a.m., when they were able to take the person into custody.
The CHP offered no further information on the driver’s condition or identifying characteristics such as gender or age.
During their investigation, officers recovered an unserialized firearm, known as a “ghost gun,” in the area where the suspect was taken into custody, the CHP said. The agency’s Border Division Major Crimes Unit is investigating the cause and sequence of events during the pursuit and shooting.
I-5 was temporarily closed in both directions, and a Sigalert was issued shortly after 2:30 a.m. between Harbor Drive in Oceanside and Christianitos Road in San Clemente, according to the CHP.
CHP Officer Hunter Gerber said northbound I-5 through Camp Pendleton was partially open for lanes 2-4 as of 9:30 a.m., while the No. 1 lane remained closed. Lanes 2-4 reopened shortly before 2 p.m., and all northbound and southbound lanes on were opened by mid-afternoon.
Traffic on southbound I-5 from San Clemente had been being diverted to the right shoulder south of Christianitos, according to Gerber.
This Thursday, Southwest Airlines passengers endured flight delays after a problem during the bag-checking process.”We try to get here at least a couple of hours early. We did get an alert from Southwest to come here for about three hours because of some issue with the carousel, so we did,” Christian Aguas shared with KCRA as he waited to board his flight to Ventura. “Found that parking was full, we did have time though to drop off my wife and kids to check-in and then I parked in the economy lot.”But aside from issues that airlines may be encountering on any given day, there are other frustrations that travelers are dealing with.Construction on Interstate 5 has been impacting traffic and causing delays.Another problem is parking. The Sacramento International Airport has about 30,000 spaces which are filling quickly. Scott Johnston with the airport says they’ve been seeing record-breaking travel numbers every month for about a year now.”June will be the busiest month that we’ve ever had. We expect to see 1.2 million people come through the airport. We’re starting to see even on a daily occurrence up to 24,000 people coming through the airport,” Johnston said, adding that the days when travelers could arrive 45 minutes to an hour before their flights are long gone. Passengers now need to get to the airport a few hours in advance to deal with the commute, parking and any other issues that may arise.The Sacramento International Airport has live updates for parking space availability and shuttle services.The airport will also add eight new shuttles and drivers by mid-July to help ease the flow from the parking lots to the airport.SMF will also break ground for a new parking garage. There is no set date for when that will happen and the project will take two years.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
This Thursday, Southwest Airlines passengers endured flight delays after a problem during the bag-checking process.
“We try to get here at least a couple of hours early. We did get an alert from Southwest to come here for about three hours because of some issue with the carousel, so we did,” Christian Aguas shared with KCRA as he waited to board his flight to Ventura. “Found that parking was full, we did have time though to drop off my wife and kids to check-in and then I parked in the economy lot.”
But aside from issues that airlines may be encountering on any given day, there are other frustrations that travelers are dealing with.
Construction on Interstate 5 has been impacting traffic and causing delays.
Another problem is parking. The Sacramento International Airport has about 30,000 spaces which are filling quickly. Scott Johnston with the airport says they’ve been seeing record-breaking travel numbers every month for about a year now.
“June will be the busiest month that we’ve ever had. We expect to see 1.2 million people come through the airport. We’re starting to see even on a daily occurrence up to 24,000 people coming through the airport,” Johnston said, adding that the days when travelers could arrive 45 minutes to an hour before their flights are long gone.
Passengers now need to get to the airport a few hours in advance to deal with the commute, parking and any other issues that may arise.
The Sacramento International Airport has live updates for parking space availability and shuttle services.
The airport will also add eight new shuttles and drivers by mid-July to help ease the flow from the parking lots to the airport.
SMF will also break ground for a new parking garage. There is no set date for when that will happen and the project will take two years.
GORMAN, Calif. (KFSN) — A wildfire burning on the Grapevine has doubled in size overnight, sparking evacuations from a popular recreation area.
CAL FIRE says the Post Fire started just after 1:45 p.m. Saturday near southbound Interstate 5 and Gorman Post Road. The flames have burned at least 12,000 acres with 2 percent containment as of Sunday morning.
About 1,200 campers at the Hungry Valley Park State Vehicular Recreation Area were ordered to evacuate Saturday night, and authorities closed Pyramid Lake, which was expecting thousands of visitors for Father’s Day, due to the threat of the Post Fire, CAL FIRE said.
The Post Fire in Gorman, California, was burning out of control Sunday in the Tejon Pass area of Los Angeles County.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department says two properties were damaged and no injuries were reported. More than 300 firefighters, including air tanker crews, are battling the fire from the ground and sky.
In a social media post, Kings County Firefighters announced Sunday they were heading to help battle the Post Fire.
Interstate 5 was briefly closed on Saturday, triggering a traffic jam through the area, officials said.
California Highway Patrol Fort Tejon wants to remind drivers on Interstate 5 not to stop in the center median to take photos or videos.
(FOX40.COM) — A part of Interstate 5 that is traveled by over 100,000 vehicles daily is set to undergo a $123 million improvement that will begin within the next few weeks.
According to Caltrans, drivers who frequently travel from Stockton to Sacramento on Interstate 5 will experience numerous lane shifts and road closures as workers seek to improve over 30 miles of existing pavement and shoulders from Hammer Lane in Stockton to the San Joaquin/Sacramento County line.
The “I-5 Anchor Pavement Rehabilitation and Improvement Project” will begin the week of June 7, which is a Friday. The project was made possible by over $100 million of federal funding.
“The $123 million effort is made possible by $111 million in federal funding and $12 million from the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017,” Caltrans said. “Work will also replace on- and off-ramps with upgraded concrete at Eight Mile Road, State Route 12, Turner Road, Peltier Road, and Thornton Road/Walnut Grove Road.”
Caltrans Director Tony Taveras said, “Residents and commercial drivers who rely on this frequently traveled stretch of I-5 will benefit from a smoother, safer ride as they deliver freight or commute to work, school, or other engagements.”
Grace Magsayo, the acting director of Caltrans District 10, said, “This important project will help improve the safe movement of traffic and increase accessibility for all users.”
Other improvements that will be made throughout the I-5 Anchor project’s entirety include:
Bridge rail replacement at Hammer Lane
Shoulder extension
New curb ramps and accessible pedestrian signals
Truck-turning improvements at Peltier Road and Thornton Road on and off-ramps
Replacing guardrails as needed
Replacing and installing overhead signs, roadside signs
Installing new overhead lighting near all on and off-ramps
Replacing and installing Traffic Management System elements, which include changeable message signs, closed circuit TVs, fiber optics, and vehicle detector stations
Caltrans said it expects to complete the project by September 2026 and will begin construction between Hammer Lane and Eight Mile Road on Interstate 5 northbound and southbound.
Upon completing that portion of Interstate 5, Caltrans will begin work from Eight Mile Road to the San Joaquin/Sacramento County line.
(FOX40.COM) — The California Highway Patrol said a person died on Saturday afternoon after they were hit by a car as they were attempting to walk across a freeway.
CHP said a 30-year-old man driving a Hyundai was driving along Interstate 5 near Natomas when a 56-year-old man attempted to walk across the roadway and was struck.
The agency added that the incident happened around 3:30 p.m.
Officials said the pedestrian was launched into the air upon impact and landed near a center divider placed in the road. The man was declared dead at the scene by emergency personnel.
The driver of the Hyundai was taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries, CHP said.
