UPDATE: Eastbound Lanes of Hwy 24 Reopen in Orinda After Police Arrest Carjacking Suspects
ORINDA (CBS SF) -- Police pursuit of a suspect vehicle involved in a carjacking shut down eastbound lanes of Highway 24 east of Wilder Road in Orinda for 90 minutes Wednesday afternoon, according to authorities.
According to Berkeley police, at about 1:48 p.m., officers spotted a vehicle wanted from a previous carjacking in Oakland. Police said the vehicle fled from officers and got on Highway 24 with officers in pursuit.
With assistance from CHP, police were able to stop the suspect vehicle and detain the occupants, police said.
The same or similar vehicle may have been involved in three robberies Tuesday evening in Berkeley, Berkeley police spokesperson Officer Byron White said.
Electronics were taken in each of the robberies, according to police. Two occurred downtown and the other at Caffe Strada, just south of the University of California at Berkeley campus, White said.
A victim in one of the robberies was injured by one or more suspects after chasing them.
Photos posted on Twitter showed police, CHP and a fire unit at the scene on the left side of the freeway.
CHP issued a severe traffic alert due to the police activity shortly after 2:30 p.m., saying that all eastbound lanes had been shut down.
As of 2:40 p.m., the left lanes remain blocked.
The lane closures on the eastern side of the Caldecott Tunnel were causing major traffic back ups heading east on Highway 24 and Highway 13 in Oakland and Berkeley.
Just before 4 p.m., CHP said the scene had been cleared and all eastbound lanes of the freeway were reopened.
Motorists are advised to expect residual delays and to use alternate routes to avoid the area.
