BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — The Kern County Coroner’s Office has identified the teen killed in a crash on Highway 178 following a law enforcement pursuit as 14-year-old Jabranden Embry Brooks.
According to the Bakersfield Police Department, officers located a previously reported stolen vehicle at approximately 5:17 p.m. on January 25, 2026, in the area of Flower Street and King Street. The vehicle, a 2014 Hyundai Sonata, had been reported stolen earlier that day from a parking lot near the Target at Valley Plaza.
Police said witnesses observed several juveniles near the vehicle while alarms were sounding before seeing it driven away at a high rate of speed. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, which led to a pursuit.
Authorities said the pursuit was terminated once the vehicle entered eastbound Highway 178 after reaching speeds deemed unsafe. Shortly after the pursuit ended, the vehicle struck a guardrail on eastbound Highway 178, west of the Baker Street overpass.
Police said all three juveniles inside the vehicle were ejected during the crash. Emergency responders transported the driver and two passengers to Kern Medical. The driver, later identified as Brooks, died from his injuries. The two passengers sustained severe injuries and remain under medical care.
The Bakersfield Police Department is investigating the incident in accordance with its critical incident policy. The two officers involved in the pursuit have been placed on routine, paid administrative leave.
The investigation remains ongoing.
