Oakley Police Pursuit Ends In Horrific Fatal Crash
ANTIOCH (CBS SF) -- Oakley police Tuesday morning pursued a fleeing driver into Antioch where the car crashed, killing a passenger, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.
The driver, whose name has not been released, tried to run from the crash scene but was quickly arrested, sheriff's officials said.
Oakley police tried to pull the white Toyota over for a traffic violation in the area of Main Street and Bridgehead Road just before 8:30 a.m. but the driver fled.
The officer chased the car for about a half-mile into Antioch and down East 18th Street. The officer was a few hundred yards behind the Toyota when it crashed into a power pole and a fire hydrant and burst into flames, sheriff's officials said.
The driver jumped out of the burning car and ran from the area. Officers searched for him, eventually spotting him getting into a different vehicle nearby. He was apparently injured in the crash and was taken to a hospital.
Once the car fire was extinguished, police discovered a burned body inside. The sheriff's office has not identified the person killed in the crash.
The downed power pole and wires knocked out power for one PG&E customer in the area, according to PG&E spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian. Repair crews responded to make sure the area was safe and get started with repairs.
Rick Cook, a manager at nearby Mac's Old House at 3100 E. 18th St., heard the crash and three explosions and spoke to investigators at the scene.
Cook said power was not knocked out for his restaurant, but said the road closure for the investigation meant the restaurant would miss its usual 11:30 a.m. opening time.
But Cook remained philosophical.
"Somebody's dead," he said. "I think that trumps us."
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