Off-Duty UCSF Police Officer Killed in Highway 280 Crash

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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) -- An off-duty officer with the University of California, San Francisco Police Department died early Friday morning in a solo-vehicle crash off Interstate Highway 280 in San Francisco, authorities said.

The university Friday identified the officer as Edson Veloro, 32. A university police dispatcher, Art Dragon, 39, was also in the car and was seriously injured.

Veloro was killed when his white Dodge Magnum swerved from southbound Highway 280 onto an off-ramp to John Daly Boulevard at a high speed, lost control and left the roadway at about 12:15 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP spokesman Shawn Chase said there had been several reports of the vehicle driving recklessly on the highway, at speeds from 90 mph to 100 mph, before the crash. There was no immediate indication of drugs or alcohol being a factor, and no other vehicles were involved in the crash, he said.

"They were just driving way too fast for the conditions, I have no idea why," Chase said.

Both Veloro and Dragon were thrown from the car after it left the road and went airborne, hit a tree, landed on a parked car and then rolled off onto the street below in the city's Oceanview neighborhood, according to Chase.

Dragon was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with major injuries, Chase said.

Investigators are still trying to determine who was driving, though the vehicle was registered to Veloro, he said.

According to the university, Veloro joined the UCSF Police Department as an officer in 2002 and served as both a patrol officer and a detective. He was named 2008 Police Department employee of the year.

Dragon joined the department in 2007, according to the university.