Police will be looking at surveillance vids from businesses along MacArthur Blvd. to find accident cause @kron4news pic.twitter.com/c4UNfUivGl
— Averi Harper (@AveriHarper) January 21, 2016
How fast does a car have to be going to end up like...that? That's what investigators with the Oakland Police Department are trying to figure out today, after a crash last night ended with the driver dead and half of the car in near-disintegration.
KRON4 reports that it was 11:30 Wednesday night when 21-year-old Jameil Brown lost control of his vehicle, struck a tree, and "kept rolling and falling apart along the way" as he drove on MacArthur Boulevard near High Street.
Police say that Brown struck the tree near 35th Avenue, several blocks from where the car finished its journey.
Brown was ejected in the crash and died on the spot. His passenger, 20-year-old Elijah May, walked away from the horrific scene without a scratch, KRON reports.
Though police say that they believe the vehicle was traveling at a "high rate of speed," investigators are still piecing together exactly what happened to "split the car in half and scatter debris from the crash all over the street." They'll be seeking surveillance video from area businesses as well as interviewing May and any other witnesses to the event in an effort to understand the circumstances behind the collision.
As of Thursday morning, OPD says, it's unclear if drugs or alcohol played a role in the collision. According to a spokesperson, it's unknown when the toxicology report on Brown's remains will be returned.