What happened in Bakersfield overnight: Saturday, September 5, 2026

What Happened Overnight in Bakersfield & Kern County

A wanted subject's high-speed run up Airport Drive ended in a major-injury crash with CPR underway, and a man was seen setting fires along East California Avenue in an apparent arson spree. Crews also spent the night working a roughly 15-to-20-acre brush fire near Pozo Creek. Here's what came over the scanner from sundown Friday into early Saturday.

The big one

A pursuit that reached 91 mph on Airport Drive ended in a major-injury crash near the intersection with Olive Drive, where responders performed CPR. The chase began when officers tried to stop a subject wanted on a Ramey warrant, with an air unit and K9 available as the driver turned onto North Chester Avenue. Crews had been preparing spike strips as the pursuit rolled north through Bakersfield.

Around the county

Suspected arson along East California

— A caller reported several separate fires and a man with a shopping cart walking east along East California Avenue lighting more fires. As crews knocked down one blaze, additional fires were reported near East California and Haley and at California and Williams streets, prompting an arson investigation and extra engines down the corridor.

Brush fire near Pozo Creek

— A wildfire burning near Pozo Creek and the Granite area drew a large Kern County assignment including engines, a strike team and a type-2 helicopter. Crews reached the flames over rough country by way of ranch gates and dirt roads, with the fire reported at roughly 15 to 20 acres.

Gunshot wound

— Emergency medical units staged for a reported gunshot wound at Acres Road and Barbara Avenue as officers positioned nearby.

Crash shuts down I-5 at the split

— Up to three vehicles were involved in a crash on northbound Interstate 5 just south of the split, leaving vehicles in the center divider and the lanes. The freeway was shut down while a rescue and multiple engines responded.

The log

• 9:48 p.m. — Copper_theft, Bell Terrace area. After a utility pole was reported de-energized, authorities said people have been cutting down poles in the area to pull copper wire from them.
• 9:49 p.m. — Street_takeover, parking lot on Colony Drive, Oildale area. A car meet of roughly 30 vehicles drew a response after several began performing maneuvers in a shopping center parking lot.
• 2:05 a.m. — Residential_alarm, Adelaide Avenue area. A panic alarm at a home was triggered by a resident reporting a man outside, and officers also checked the area for a man in a black shirt seen nearby.
• 4:10 a.m. — Domestic_disturbance, Donna Avenue area. An active domestic incident was reported on Donna Avenue with an open line, involving a woman holding a hammer.
• 5:26 a.m. — Outside_fire, railroad tracks near East Truxton Avenue. An outside fire was reported burning along the railroad tracks just south of East Truxton Avenue, with crews dispatched.

Night notes

Dry conditions kept fire crews busy through the small hours, with the Pozo Creek blaze burning in hard-to-reach terrain and a suspected arsonist lighting a string of small fires east of downtown. No rain was in the forecast for Kern County on Saturday, and the overnight calls were dominated by the pursuit, the gunshot response and the two fire operations.