Barstow Automobile Theft Suspect Killed in Crash of Stolen Vehicle

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BARSTOW – A 21-year-old man lost his life after crashing a vehicle, which was reported stolen on Saturday.

The vehicle was reported stolen at around 7:50 p.m. on Friday evening from the 1300 block of East Main Street. When the officer arrived he made contact with the victim who reported that a man named “Brandon” who he had just recently met, stole his 2013 Black Ford Focus. The victim told authorities that he was driving his vehicle and Brandon was his passenger. He stopped at a cellular phone store in the 1300 block of East Main Street leaving Brandon and his keys inside the vehicle. The victim finished his transaction and went out to the parking lot to find his vehicle gone.

The victim was able to describe Brandon, who was later identified as Brandon Mennecke, of Barstow. The officer completed the report and conducted an area search, but did not locate the vehicle. Later, at 1:36 a.m. on Saturday Barstow Police received a report of a single-vehicle collision on Lenwood and Tortoise Roads. “The caller reported that the vehicle collided with a power pole and there were several live power lines on the ground,” said Barstow Police Captain Andrew Espinoza Jr. The officers responded and found the driver trapped inside of the vehicle.

The driver was extricated from the vehicle and was rushed to Barstow Community Hospital where he died as a result of his injuries. When officers investigated the collision, they learned that the vehicle involved was the stolen Ford Focus. The San Bernardino Coroner’s responded to the hospital where they confirmed that the deceased man was, in fact, Brandon Mennecke. Lenwood Road remained closed for several hours throughout the investigation. Southern California Edison responded to the scene to make repairs to the electrical poles and downed wires. The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident may contact Officer Mathew Helms at the Barstow Police Department (760) 256-2211. Those wishing to remain anonymous may also report criminal activity by calling the WE-Tip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or may leave information on the WE-Tip website at www.wetip.com.