A person was seriously injured Monday afternoon after driving off a cliff in Carlsbad following a pursuit, police said.

Carlsbad firefighters and police officers responded to Palomar Airport Road and Avenida Encinas around 4:10 p.m. A San Diego County Sheriff’s Department lieutenant said the department was assisting Carlsbad police with a pursuit minutes before then.

The Carlsbad Police Department, which is investigating the incident, said one of its officers saw a vehicle crash into the fence of a city government office in the 2400 block of Impala Drive just after 4 p.m. The vehicle took off, and officers say that they initiated a traffic stop.

Police say they began pursuing the car when the driver failed to stop, but the pursuit was later called off on Palomar Airport Road, west of Avenida Encinas, for safety reasons.

A short time later, officers say the vehicle went off the cliff in the 5500 block of Carlsbad Boulevard. It’s about 4 miles away from the city government office and less than half a mile from where police say the pursuit was called off.

Officers called for medical help and descended the cliff on foot to provide life-saving measures.

The driver, who suffered life-threatening injuries, was transported to the hospital after being treated by Carlsbad Fire personnel. Police say the driver is expected to survive.

The cause of the incident is still under investigation. Carlsbad Police say drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in this crash.

Video from the scene shows the mangled body of the car. People on the beach stopped and watched, shocked at how far the car had fallen.

A witness was driving from the village of Carlsbad to the Encinas area when he says he saw four police vehicles following the car involved.

“At first I thought it was a regular traffic stop when I saw him, but when I saw the four police vehicles chasing him, I was like, ‘This is definitely something different,'” the witness said. “I saw the car go off the cliff. It sounded like an explosion, honestly. It was like fireworks. It was just a big impact. It sounded like a wave breaking – a really hard wave. It was crazy .”

Michael Shryock says the pursuit went right past him as he headed south on Carlsbad Blvd.

“He wasn’t speeding, he just looked like someone driving down the coast with cops behind him and his hazard lights on going 40-50 miles an hour and then he went off the cliff,” Shryock said.

Road closures in the nearby area were in place for several hours after the crash. Carlsbad Boulevard was closed in both directions from Cerezo Drive to Island Way, and westbound Palomar Airport Road was closed at Avenida Encinas. All roads were reopened by 8 p.m., Carlsbad police said.

Road Closure Alert 4:55 PM – Carlsbad Blvd in both directions from Cerezo Dr to Island Way, as well as westbound Palomar Airport Road from Avenida Encinas are closed due to a vehicle that went over a rock.

Please use an alternate route while we conduct our investigation.

— Carlsbad Police (@CarlsbadPolice) November 5, 2024

In April 2021, a driver flew over a rock into the water in the same area. The SUV was transitioning onto Carlsbad Boulevard from Palomar Airport Road when the driver crossed multiple lanes of traffic, went through a guardrail and flew dozens of feet to the beach below, eventually ending up in the water , according to Carlsbad police. The driver was extricated from the car and suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Police are asking witnesses or anyone with information about this incident to contact the department at 442-339-2115.

This is a developing story that will be updated as more information comes in.