Car crashes into Oakland pedestrians after CHP chase; 1 dead, 1 injured
A vehicle being chased in Oakland by the California Highway Patrol lost control and crashed into two pedestrians Wednesday night, killing one and injuring the other.
The Oakland Police Department said the collision happened just before 7:45 p.m. in the area of 12th Avenue and East 21st Street in the city's Clinton neighborhood. Police said the CHP notified the department about a pursuit on city streets, which was ended shortly after.
According to police, the vehicle continued to drive recklessly and lost control, hitting a man and a woman walking on the sidewalk. Video from a home surveillance camera showed the car skidding through the intersection, slamming into a hydrant, a tree, and then the two pedestrians, who had no time to get out of the way.
The driver ran away from the crash scene but was eventually arrested by CHP officers.
Police officers tended to the victims, both in their 40s, and medical personnel provided life-saving measures, but the man died at the scene. The woman was listed in stable condition, and witnesses later said she had been released from the hospital.
Residents say a couple was out for an evening walk together.
"All of a sudden, I hear an earthquake. Bam," said Sarah Polk, who lives at a home in front of the crash scene and whose security camera captured the collision.
The woman came up the stairs to Polk's house seeking help.
"She said, could you please call quick 911," said Polk.
James Polk said he installed the camera on his front porch just days ago. He is among the residents concerned about high-speed chases.
"I simply asked one [officer], 'Is this a high-speed chase?' They looked at me and said, 'Absolutely not, this was not a high-speed chase."
In a statement emailed to CBS News Bay Area Thursday evening, the CHP identified the suspect as 18-year-old Eric Scott Hernandez-Garcia of Oakland. CHP officers were patrolling in Oakland when they saw a vehicle wanted in association with a felony evading incident involving the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, the CHP said.
The officers attempted an enforcement stop on the vehicle in a parking lot near 102nd Avenue and International Boulevard but the driver sped away. The CHP claimed its officers ended the ground pursuit within 37 seconds while its aircraft continued to monitor the vehicle.
After traversing the freeway and city streets for about 15 minutes, the suspect pulled over at 5th Avenue near E. 19th Street and began to exit the vehicle as officers approached, the CHP said. However, the driver re-entered the vehicle and fled again, with patrol officers chasing, the agency said.
The vehicle crashed into a minivan at Park Boulevard and 21st Street, and within 30 seconds, officers ended the pursuit a second time, the CHP said. About 20 seconds later, the vehicle hit the two pedestrians. The occupants of the minivan suffered minor injuries.
The deadly collision comes as the Police Department Oakland police chief calls for more authority to chase violent suspects. Currently, the policy requires officers to end a chase if speeds reach 50 miles per hour, unless a commander approves it.
Governor Gavin Newsom said in December that the current policy doesn't make sense.
"You can be drunk, you can run a red light, you can come close to sideswiping a school bus in the morning commute hours in front of cops, and Oakland's pursuit policy says the cops can't chase them," said Newsom at the time."
But critics of vehicle pursuits believe policy changes are headed in the wrong direction.
"It's not like one car stops and somebody jumps out and says, 'Oh, I give up, thanks for chasing me.' There's a crash one way or another. Is it into a building? Is it into other cars, or is it frequently is into people?"
