High-Speed Oakland Chase Ends In Crash, Deadly Shootout
OAKLAND (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) -- A high-speed chase ended with a crash and a deadly exchange of gunfire between a man and police near the Oakland Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.
Officers were pursuing two drive-by shooting suspects in a red Infiniti sedan when the crash occured on San Leandro Street at 85th Avenune shortly after 4 p.m.
OPD Capt. Ersie Joyner said an officer shot and killed the vehicle's passenger after he emerged armed with two guns and refused to surrender. Joyner indicated that the officer thought his life was in danger.
KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:
He said the fleeing car's driver also jumped out and attempted to run from the crash scene, but was apprehended and suffered only minor injuries.
Police have not yet confirmed the identities of the suspects, although OPD spokeswoman Holly Joshi said investigators believed the two men had previous contact with Oakland authorities.
Police have also not said whether the armed man fired at officers before he was killed. An employee who did not want to be named at Eagle Auto Company, located near the crash intersection, told Bay City News that he saw the passenger get out and shoot at officers.
The two men were suspects in a non-injury drive-by shooting earlier Wednesday in an East Oakland residential neighborhood.
Witnesses told police that the pair started shooting at people in the 7600 block of Lockwood Street - firing multiple shots - for an unknown reason. Joyner said it was fortunate that no one was injured.
Two patrol cars spotted their vehicle shortly after the incident and a roughly 10-minute chase ensued as the suspects drove onto northbound Interstate 880, exited at 66th Avenue and then turned south onto San Leandro Street.
It eventually came to an end when the fleeing car burst into flames after crashing into another vehicle, a green Oldsmobile, and then a fence.
Joyner said OPD's response to the incident was hampered by problems with their radio system, which he said was out of service during about half of the incident.
At one point officers didn't have any contact with dispatchers at police headquarters, he said.
Joyner noted that police have had problems with their radio system in the past, and city officials were aware of those problems but hadn't yet fixed them.
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