The Kern County Sheriff's Department has released video of the May 23rd crash that killed Deputy James Throne.

The department released the video in a news conference late Monday afternoon. The video was taken by a neighbor who was filming graffiti in the area when they captured the accident in the background.

Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood held a news conference Monday afternoon for all members for the media. Youngblood said the reason they released the video so early was because he knew the media would find out about it's existence and he didn't want the news stations to turn it's release into a contest. He also wanted the public to know that there is an extensive investigation of the crash involving the video.

The accident involved Deputy James Throne and Deputy Doug Swanson. Throne died from injuries suffered in the crash. Swanson is still recovering from his injuries. Both worked for the Sheriff's Department's Lamont substation.

The crash happened at the intersection of Weedpatch and Blackburn about 11:30 p.m. on May 23rd. Both deputies were looking for a suspect in the area when the accident happened.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating this accident and this video is one of the most important clues to help them piece together what happened. The Sheriff's Department brought the families of James Throne and Doug Swanson to view the tape Monday morning, so they weren't shocked to see it on television. Youngblood expressed the pain the family went through in seeing the accident, and how difficult it's been for members of the Sheriff's Department to watch it, saying it was "extremely difficult to watch."

The CHP's investigation is still ongoing and is not expected to be wrapped up for the next several months. Youngblood says Deputy Swanson's condition is improving, but he is still undergoing several surgeries.

The video is available for viewing on BakersfieldNow.com. We want to warn you the video could be disturbing to some people.