An early-morning traffic stop turned into a hair-raising chase through San Ramon Sunday as officers attempted to interview the occupant of a car reported stolen out of Sunnyvale.
Stephanie Almeida, 32, of San Jose was reportedly behind the wheel of a Honda Civic which had stopped for gas in the parking lot of the Shell station on Crow Canyon Road and Crow Place at 2:56 a.m. Sunday when a San Ramon officer spotted the vehicle and attempted to detain Almeida at gunpoint as she stood nearby.
Chief Joe Gorton reported that Almeida abruptly jumped back in the car and sped away, the initial officer calling for assistance as Almeida allegedly led officers on a wild tour of the northern San Ramon, dodging police by driving on the wrong side of the road and nearly striking a pursuing officer while making an abrupt U-turn out of a dead-end street.
Gorton reported that Almeida eventually drove down N. Forrest Hill Place, a long cul-de-sac, and once again executed an abrupt U-turn at the end of the street, striking a pursuing police car head on. Both cars were “completely disabled,” according to Chief Gorton, and their airbags deployed.
Almeida was taken into custody and transported to the San Ramon Regional Medical Center along with the officer. Both were treated and released. Almeida was booked on stolen vehicle, felony evading, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of dangerous drugs, possession of stolen property and on a warrant for probation violation after a search of her car turned up methamphetamine, syringes and items possibly taken from the victims of local burglaries.
Gorton said a police investigation into the incident is continuing.
