CHP Reportedly Captures Man Who Escaped CHP Chase, Berkeley Crash Last Week
BERKELEY (CBS SF) - A stolen car suspect who led police on a chase through the East Bay before crashing in Berkeley is in custody last Wednesday, according to the website Berkeleyside.
Jerome Wingert, 33, was arrested around 3:10 a.m. at a Berkeley hotel. The arrest was made by CHP officers with assistance from Berkeley police, according to CHP. Berkeleyside points out that Wingert which cites several prior criminal incidents, including two prior chases.
The most recent incident began around 11:30 p.m. in Concord. CHP received the call about a suspect in a stolen Honda Accord driving the wrong way on the freeway. The suspect drove in the slow lane and on the shoulder of Highway 4 and on Interstate 80, passing through nine cities before crashing with a GMC Envoy at California St. and Hearst Ave.
At one point, the suspect called 911 and told officers he didn't want to go back to jail.
"He relayed that he knew the police were following him, and the helicopter was above, and if the helicopter were to stop following, he would then stop his car," said CHP Sgt. John Koven. "Because of safety to the public, our helicopter continued with it lit up, that way it could alert oncoming motorists of the danger."
The California Highway Patrol went door to door in a North Berkeley neighborhood searching every home and yard in a one block area, but they didn't find the suspect.
The driver of the GMC Envoy was taken to the hospital for minor injuries.
At the time, officers said they found some information in the car that the suspect was driving. They think they have identified the suspect and believe that he's no longer in the North Berkeley area.
