Authorities identify victim killed by burglary suspects in I-580 wrong-way collision
The Alameda County coroner's office has released the identity of the man who died when burglary suspects fleeing CHP went the wrong way on I-580 in Oakland early Tuesday.
The wrong-way driver was behind the wheel of a white pick-up truck that had fled from a robbery at a tobacco shop in El Cerrito onto I-80 at around 4:20 a.m. During the pursuit, authorities said as the driver approached the Bay Bridge toll plaza after westbound I-80 merged with westbound I-580, the suspect abruptly changed direction and began to drive the wrong way.
The suspect drove east into the MacArthur Maze, crashing into two other westbound vehicles on I-580, a white van and a BMW. The driver of the BMW was killed and the solo driver of the van suffered major injuries. The two burglary suspects inside the truck also sustained major injuries.
The coroner's office on Thursday confirmed that the victim in the BMW was 57-year-old Lafayette resident Lee David Weiner.
Tuesday afternoon, El Cerrito Police identified the driver of the wrong-way vehicle as 34-year-old Patrick Sheckells of Oakland and the passenger as 56-year-old Andre Alberty of San Francisco. Police said they are working with CHP to pursue charges in the El Cerrito burglary and the police pursuit and deadly crash.
The owner of the smoke shop that was targeted said the loss to his business was bad, but was nothing compared to the innocent life lost in the freeway collision.
"This gentleman was on his way to work and just out of nowhere, that was it. It ended for him. He thought he was going to have a good day, go home, see the family, but these scumbags decided that's not going to happen today," he said. "No amount of money is worth taking someone's life."
