Pleasanton murder suspect kills himself during Highway 580 standoff in San Leandro
Police trailed a Pleasanton murder suspect onto Interstate Highway 580 Thursday, leading to a standoff on the roadway in San Leandro that stopped traffic in both directions until he was discovered dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his vehicle.
Pleasanton police said officers were investigating the death of a woman found with multiple gunshot wounds inside a home on Saginaw Circle near the intersection of West Las Positas Boulevard and Owens Drive at about 11:10 a.m. Thursday.
A suspect vehicle, an older model black Lexus, was seen driving away from the area and an unmarked police vehicle followed it onto westbound Highway 580, where it became disabled just past the Fairmont Drive overpass near 150th Ave., police said.
At around noon, two police tactical armored vehicles were seen boxing in the Lexus sedan that was stopped on the left shoulder of westbound 580. The California Highway Patrol, the San Leandro Police Department, and the Alameda County Sheriff's Office responded to assist the Pleasanton Police Department in the standoff.
Police said there was no movement from inside the vehicle as officers tried to communicate with the suspect. Eventually, when officers approached the vehicle they found the suspect dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
During the standoff, traffic on Highway 580 was blocked in both directions in San Leandro. The CHP said westbound I-580 lanes were shut down at 164th Avenue and eastbound lanes were closed at 150th Avenue.
As of 1 p.m., one westbound was reopened and traffic was backed up to Castro Valley, with drivers diverting onto Highway 238 to 880, while eastbound traffic was backed up to Golf Links Road in Oakland. All eastbound lanes and a second westbound lane were reopened by 1:33 p.m.
As of 4 p.m., the black Lexus was still on the shoulder of Highway 580. The #1 and #2 lanes of westbound 580 were closed as police investigators continued to process the scene, located next to the Alameda County Sheriff's Eden Township substation adjacent to the highway.
Pleasanton police said the incident was isolated and there was no danger to the community. The department on Friday confirmed that the suspect who shot himself was the estranged boyfriend of the woman who was found dead in Pleasanton.