Car Careens Into KPIX News Van Covering Oakland May Day Demonstration

OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- A speeding car careened out of control and slammed into a KPIX 5 news van in downtown Oakland Saturday night. Fortunately, the news crew escaped serious injury.

Oakland police said a driver crashed into several vehicles around 8:30 p.m. including the news van before finally coming to rest after rear-ending a parked SUV.

The driver fled, but officers were able to arrest the suspect a block away from the crash scene near 14th and Broadway.

Police do not believe the crash was related to the protests going on nearby.

KPIX 5 reporter Da Lin said he was sitting in the van, preparing his report on those protests for the 11 p.m. newscast. He saw the car coming at the van at a high rate of speed moments before the vehicle slammed into the front end of his parked vehicle.

The KPIX 5 cameraman was not injured in the crash. Lin was taken to the hospital for evaluation, but did not appear to be seriously injured.

At the time of the crash, there was a large police presence in downtown Oakland as the May Day protests were winding down. Two protesters were arrested for assaulting police officers, but the protest was mostly peaceful with no reports of widespread vandalism.