Four people died after a drunken motorist fleeing Lathrop deputies rolled the Chevrolet Blazer he was driving during an ensuing high speed pursuit.
Lathrop Police Services spokesman Deputy Les Garcia said three of the occupants of a black Chevrolet Blazer died at the scene of a multiple rollover on McKinley Avenue north of French Camp Road at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday.
Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle in the 100 block of East Roth Road – east of Interstate 5 – when they  fled easterly on Roth Road “driving all over the road” reaching estimated speeds of 70 miles an hour.
Sgt. Garcia added that the vehicle turned northbound onto McKinley Avenue from French Camp Road in French Camp, increasing its speed to about 100 miles an hour.  The driver lost control of the Blazer causing it to roll several times on the roadway.   The driver was ejected while three passengers were trapped inside the vehicle, he said.
The driver, along with one male and one female passenger trapped in the vehicle, died at the scene.  Another female was transported by ambulance to an area hospital where she later died.
A protocol investigation is underway by the CHP Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) along with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Investigations Unit.  The names of the occupants are pending positive identification and notification to the next of kin of the deceased.