Bakersfield woke up to heartbreak after a police pursuit ended in a violent crash on Highway 178, claiming the life of 14-year-old Jabranden Embry Brooks. The Kern County Coroner’s Office confirmed the teen’s identity, putting a name and a face to a tragedy that has shaken families across the city.
The chain of events began around 5:17 p.m. on January 25, 2026. Bakersfield police officers spotted a vehicle that had been reported stolen earlier that day. The car, a 2014 Hyundai Sonata, was taken from a parking lot near the Target at Valley Plaza, a busy area filled with weekend shoppers and families.
Witnesses told police they saw several juveniles near the car as alarms blared. Moments later, the vehicle sped away. Officers attempted to stop it, but the driver refused, triggering a pursuit through city streets. The situation escalated quickly as the car raced ahead at dangerous speeds.
Police said they made the decision to end the pursuit once the vehicle entered eastbound Highway 178. The speeds were considered unsafe, and officers pulled back. It was a call meant to reduce risk, but the danger did not end there.
Shortly after the pursuit was terminated, the Hyundai slammed into a guardrail on eastbound Highway 178, just west of the Baker Street overpass. The impact was severe. All three juveniles inside the car were thrown from the vehicle, a sign of how violent the crash was.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene and transported the driver and two passengers to Kern Medical. Brooks, who was driving, later died from his injuries. The two passengers survived but suffered serious injuries and remain under medical care.
The Bakersfield Police Department is now investigating the crash under its critical incident policy. As part of standard procedure, the two officers involved in the pursuit have been placed on paid administrative leave. Officials say the investigation is ongoing, and more details will be released once the review is complete.
For many in Bakersfield, this is a painful reminder of how fast decisions, stolen cars, and young lives can collide with irreversible consequences. A teenager is gone, two others are fighting to heal, and a community is left asking how a single evening spiraled into tragedy on a familiar stretch of highway.
