Man killed when SUV plunges to beach in Santa Cruz

SANTA CRUZ — A 48-year-old Santa Cruz County man died Friday night when he drove off West Cliff Drive while being pursued by a park ranger, the California Highway Patrol said.

The driver, whose name was not released pending notification of next of kin, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, near West Cliff and De La Costa Avenue.

When he drove off the short bluff near Mitchell’s Cove, the driver was fleeing a traffic stop. At 8:42 p.m., a parks officer at Natural Bridges State Beach had attempted to stop the man because his 1996 GMC Yukon nearly struck a crowd of people when reversing, according to the CHP report.

The man failed to pull over and drove east along West Cliff for about a mile before the SUV jumped the curb and went off the bluff. Images from the scene showed it overturned on the rocks at the ocean’s edge.

The crash remains under investigation. It is unknown if alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash.