Update: Hayward police pursuit ends with fatal shooting of armed suspect in Castro Valley
HAYWARD -- A Hayward police low-speed pursuit Monday morning ended with the armed domestic-dispute suspect being fatally wounded by officers after a forced traffic stop, a foot chase and an attempted carjacking.
Alameda County Sheriff's Lt. Ray Kelly said the suspect's vehicle has also been linked to an earlier kidnapping-robbery in Emeryville.
The suspect suffered several gunshot wounds as he attempted to carjack a Jeep from a woman at gunpoint. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. His identity was not released pending notification of next of kin.
Meanwhile, a Hayward police officer was hospitalized with a leg injury after the suspect rammed his patrol vehicle.
Kelly said the incident began around 10 a.m. with Hayward officers responding to report of a domestic dispute and numerous shots being fired in the parking lot of a large apartment complex on Gary Drive.
The suspect went to his ex-wife's apartment and began arguing with those who were inside. They were able to force him out into the parking lot.
"We know he fired close to a dozen rounds at the scene in the apartment complex," Kelly told reporters. "We believe had people not intervened at the complex it's likely he might have committed a homicide."
Upon arrival, the officers began a pursuit as the suspect drove away, still firing off rounds. Kelly said the officers concerns where elevated because it was a low-speed chase and the suspect kept flashing his gun.
"He was holding the gun up to the pursuing officers and threatening them with a handgun," Kelly said. "This was a very active, unfolding situation."
The pursuit of the silver Mercedes Benz proceeded onto surface streets in unincorporated Hayward before ending up on eastbound I-580 and then off onto Eden Canyon Road.
"He was traveling at a low rate of speed which is concerning for officers," Kelly said. "He's not trying to flee at a high rate of speed so officers were worried -- 'Is he trying to lead us into some kind of ambush?'"
At Eden Canyon Road, officers used a PIT maneuver to forced the suspect's vehicle to spin out into the edge of a ravine. The suspect then rammed a police cruiser, injuring the officer.
With his gun in his hand, he abandoned his disabled vehicle and ran up the hill onto Eden Canyon where he attempted the carjacking at gunpoint.
"He was obviously set on violence -- gun violence," Kelly said. "It appears on the surface that he has an extensive criminal history. We are trying to learn about the relationship between our domestic violence victim and the suspect's wife."
At that point, the officers opened fire, fatally wounding the suspect. The woman driving the Jeep was shaken, but otherwise unharmed, authorities said.
The incident remains under investigation by sheriff's deputies.