Police Arrest Father Facing Manslaughter For I-880 Crash That Killed His Daughter
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- A man who had been sought since last week after he failed to appear in court on two vehicular manslaughter counts for allegedly causing a crash that killed his 5-year-old daughter and another man was arrested in Oakland on Monday, authorities said.
Clarence Brown, 22, was arrested in the vicinity of High Street and MacArthur Boulevard at about 7:30 p.m. Monday after a short pursuit on foot, U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Joseph Palmer said.
Authorities had been canvassing that area because they had information that Brown was there, Palmer said.
He tried to flee when officers spotted him but they were able to tackle and catch him, according to Palmer.
Brown was recently charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, two felony counts of child abuse, felony reckless driving with serious injury and a misdemeanor count of driving with a suspended or revoked license.
The charges are related to a collision on northbound Interstate Highway 880 in Oakland just south of Fifth Avenue shortly after 5 a.m. on May 1 that killed his daughter, 5-year-old Neveah Brown, and 23-year-old Dion Christy.
Neveah and Christy, a friend of Clarence Brown's who graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 2012, were passengers in Clarence Brown's black BMW, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A white box truck was disabled on the right shoulder with its hazard lights on and Brown's BMW was speeding north when it veered off the roadway and hit the truck, CHP officials said.
Immediately after the collision, the BMW re-entered the roadway and was struck by a Ford F-250, according to the CHP.
Christy and Neveah Brown were sitting in the back seat of the BMW and died in the collision. It appeared that Neveah was not properly restrained inside the vehicle, CHP officials said.
Clarence Brown, another child and a woman passenger in the BMW were all transported to hospitals to be treated for injuries, according to the CHP.
Investigators do not believe that drugs or alcohol were factors in the collision.
An Alameda County Superior Court judge agreed to release Brown from custody on May 27 so he could attend his daughter's funeral but he failed to appear in court on May 30 as ordered, authorities said.
Brown is now back in custody at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday to be arraigned.
At the time of the fatal crash, Brown was on probation for a 2016 felony conviction for possession of ammunition by a prohibited person.
He also has a conviction for second-degree robbery, according to court records.
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