Two Alameda County Sheriff's Deputies Injured After Suspect Hits Them in Stolen Car
By Max Darrow
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Two East Bay deputies were hospitalized late Wednesday morning when they were struck by a suspect in a stolen car who later was taken into custody, according to authorities.
The Alameda County Sheriff's Office told CBS SF a man purposely ran into one officer and then dragged a second officer in his attempt to escape, just part of a wild chase along a stretch of I-580 Wednesday.
"It's almost like something out of a movie," said Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. Ray Kelly.
The incident began in unincorporated San Leandro. Deputies were on patrol near 170th Avenue and spotted a stolen pickup truck, according to Kelly.
The deputies tried to stop the truck, but the driver took off, travelling in the wrong direction on I-580. The driver then abandoned the truck on the freeway and ran off the road towards Foothill Boulevard.
He then went for another car -– a black hatchback.
Deputies confronted him, with one of them actually getting into the vehicle and struggling with the suspect for the car keys. The suspect was able to start the car and drive away as the deputy tried to get out of the car, dragging the deputy about 15 yards, according to Kelly.
The driver then crashed into the second deputy before taking off on I-580 once again.
"During that escape, he struck a second officer and a patrol vehicle. Our second officer received what's likely a broken arm and lacerations to his hands," Kelly said.
Authorities said both deputies were transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The deputies are expected to be okay.
The suspect made it several miles up I-580 before exiting at 98th Avenue in Oakland. That's where the incident came to an end, when the suspect crashed into several vehicles.
That crash was reported by the KCBS Traffic Twitter account at around 11:23 a.m. There were additional reports that the car in question was involved in a police pursuit.
Chopper 5 video showed a scene at the 98th Avenue onramp that appeared to be an accident involving two vehicles. There were multiple police, fire and ambulance units visible. At least one person could be seen getting loaded into an ambulance on a stretcher.
The suspect was injured in the collision and taken into custody. Police said three ambulances responded to the crash, but did not specify whether other people were injured.
"Not exactly sure what was going on with him. Was he running from other crimes? Did he do something more serious that he felt the need to go to this level of carnage?" Kelly said. "We'll be looking into that."
Investigators have not released the suspect's identity yet or detailed what charges he might be facing.
