Caught On Camera: Suspect Car Wrecks, Plows Into Outdoor Sausalito Café During Police Chase
SAUSALITO (KPIX 5) -- The end of a police chase in Sausalito came extremely close to being a tragedy as the suspect car plowed into a sidewalk café after hitting other cars Tuesday morning.
Surveillance video from Fred's Place café shows a car chased by police clipping another car, rear-ending a van, jumping the curb and barely missing outdoor diners, although one diner was briefly pinned against the building.
The video also shows the driver, identified by police as 20-year-old Derrick McCann, leaving his girlfriend and her two-year-old son in the car. He was quickly stopped by bystanders.
"They said, 'Hey, he's back there' and I said, 'OK, I'll just catch him,'" said witness Nathan Arellano, who along with his co-workers at a nearby business tackled the McCann and held him until police arrived.
McCann, his girlfriend and her son were all injured and had to be hospitalized, as was the driver of the first car hit. All are expected to be okay.
"It was just an absolute miracle that no one was standing on this corner waiting for the light," said witness Nathan Arellano.
Another witness noted how popular Fred's Place is and how crowded it normally is. "It's a wonder that there weren't more people sitting out there that got taken out by that accident," said Joe Ording. "There is a line to get into this place most mornings."
Regulars say it's unusual for only three people to be eating on the patio during breakfast.
The café on Bridgeway, the main street in Sausalito, was closed for the rest of the day to cleanup from the damage. Workers said Fred's Place will be back open on Wednesday.
