One person was seriously hurt on Monday afternoon after driving off a cliff in Carlsbad following a pursuit, police said.

A vehicle being pursued by police flew over a cliff and crashed onto the beach below, gravely injuring the driver, California authorities reported. The pursuit began when an officer saw a vehicle strike a city fence at about 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4, Carlsbad police said in a news release.

"I saw the car go off the cliff. It sounded like an explosion, honestly. It was similar to a firework," one witness said.

A man was transported to the hospital for life-threatening injuries after leading Carlsbad police officers in a police pursuit and driving off a cliff Monday afternoon.