A retail theft suspect who was killed in a police pursuit crash in December has been identified by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The woman was identified as Shevondia Compare-Bell, 18.
On Dec. 18, 2023, three suspects, two women and a man, were reported to be involved in a theft from Dick’s Sporting Goods store on Auto Park Way.
Escondido officers chased the truck onto Washington Avenue, where the driver tried to make a high-speed turn onto Fig Street but lost control and collided with a retaining wall.
Compare-Bell was one of the two women who were ejected from the truck. The other woman was seriously injured.
The driver of the truck was identified as Lance Corporal John Eugene Brand, 21, a Marine based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Brand fled the scene, but was later captured by police.
He later pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
City News Service contributed to this report.
