Man Arrested For Shooting At San Leandro Police Officer
SAN LEANDRO (CBS SF) - A 25-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly firing multiple rounds at an undercover police officer in San Leandro on Wednesday night, police said Friday.
Matthew Nguyen, an Oakland resident, was arrested on Thursday afternoon in the 1700 block of Pinole Valley Road in Pinole in connection with the shooting, police spokesman Lt. Jeff Tudor said.
At about 9:20 p.m. Wednesday, undercover police detectives were in the area of Anza Way and Aloha Drive conducting surveillance for a narcotics investigation when they observed a suspicious vehicle, according to police.
A detective sergeant tried to follow the car, a dark-colored Acura, in his unmarked police car when the suspect made a U-turn and drove directly toward the sergeant in the 300 block of Aloha Drive.
As the suspect drove past the police vehicle, he rolled down his window and fired multiple rounds at the sergeant from about six feet away, police said.
The rounds struck the sergeant's vehicle but he escaped injury.
The suspect then fled at a high rate of speed through city streets
and onto Interstate Highway 880, then onto Interstate Highway 238 and into Castro Valley. He eluded capture after driving at speeds above 100 mph, according to police.
However, investigators were later able to determine that Nguyen was the owner of the Acura and the suspected shooter and arrested him Thursday, Tudor said.
The suspect vehicle was also recovered at 41st Avenue and Mera Street in Oakland, police said.
Tudor said the Police Department is "extremely fortunate that (the sergeant) did not sustain any injuries" in the shooting.
"As police officers we are aware of the dangers we face each and every time we wear the badge and we wear it ever so proudly during times where we need to unite as one to arrest a violent individual who tried to take the life of an officer," he said.
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