A Van Nuys man was identified as the driver who died after a California Highway Patrol pursuit ended with his vehicle plunging into a mountain lake, authorities confirmed Friday.
Van Nuys resident Ashot Geboyan, 21, was identified as the driver who died after a CHP pursuit ended with his Land Rover submerged in Lake Isabella in Kernville.
A Van Nuys man was identified as the driver who died after a California Highway Patrol pursuit ended with his vehicle plunging into a mountain lake, authorities confirmed Friday.
The Kern County Coroner's Office identified the driver as 21-year-old Ashot Geboyan of Van Nuys, according to reporting from KGET and BakersfieldNow.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the incident began just after 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 23, in Kernville. A CHP Bakersfield Area unit observed a traffic violation involving a white 2018 Land Rover near Scodie Avenue and Durwood Street.
Officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The driver failed to yield, and a pursuit began southbound on Sierra Way.
CHP said the pursuit continued on Sierra Way as the vehicle approached a curve near Stine Cove at a high rate of speed. Geboyan failed to safely negotiate the curve.
"The Land Rover left the roadway, traveled airborne over a dirt embankment, and entered Lake Isabella," CHP said in its preliminary investigation.
The vehicle became fully submerged in the lake. Geboyan did not emerge from the water.
Emergency crews launched a search and rescue operation. The Land Rover was recovered from the lake at approximately 2:51 a.m. on Sunday, May 24. Geboyan was found inside the vehicle.
He was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:21 p.m. on Saturday, May 23.
A postmortem examination has been conducted, but the cause and manner of Geboyan's death remain under investigation, according to the Kern County Coroner's Office.
CHP has not released additional details about the traffic violation that prompted the initial stop.
Geboyan's family and next of kin have not been publicly identified.
This article was generated with AI assistance.