Authorities have identified the alleged smoke shop burglar who was tragically killed in a traffic collision on Tuesday afternoon while fleeing police officers in Riverside County, California. The Riverside County Coroner’s Office on Thursday, March 26, disclosed the fatal victim’s identity as 23-year-old Gabriel Dominic Romero of Perris.

The incident took place at about 1:20 pm on Tuesday, March 24, along Ramona Expressway, just east of Hansen Avenue, officers reported.

According to the county’s coroner office, deputies were dispatched to a smoke shop in the 2200 block of West Esplanade Avenue on reports of an attempted robbery.

The responding officers sighted the burglar’s car at their arrival and immediately went after him. The victim engaged the police in a brief chase, traveling west at a high rate of speed along the Ramona Expressway.

Suddenly, the 23-year-old Sedan driver lost control of his vehicle as he approached Hansen Avenue, east of Perris reservoir, causing him to hit another car, plying the same westbound route.

The force of the collision caused the vehicle to break apart and went ablaze. The motorist, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was expelled from the Sedan and died instantly, as reported by the police.

Meanwhile, the two occupants of the other car involved in the collision sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were rushed to the Riverside University Medical Center, Moreno Valley, for treatment.

Following the traffic accident, the Ramona Expressway was temporarily closed until on-site investigations were completed.

Disclaimer: The Accident News article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.

The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Accident News’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.

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