Another busy day dawned in The Numbers as CHP officers – with air support from one of their helicopters – descended on a car and stopped it at gunpoint on I-680 at Treat Blvd. this morning, followed by another burst of activity at 12:20 p.m. when Orinda Police Chief Mark Nagel happened upon what he thought was the tail-end of a burglary at the intersection of St. Stephens Dr. at Highway 24.
The chief was just approaching the intersection when a gold sedan with paper plates and three men aboard blew through the area at a high rate of speed, passing other cars on the right and taking a stop sign at about 20 mph.
As Nagel was maneuvering to fall in behind the sedan he said it made the on-ramp to Highway 24 in an attempt to get away.
That’s when another car came upon the scene, the driver using his car to box in the sedan. Thinking he’d just stumbled onto a residential burglary with the homeowner in hot pursuit, the chief positioned himself and made it known he was police and not taking any guff. Help was called, with officers turning up to back up their chief.
It turned out, Nagel said, that instead of a carload of burglars he’d happened on the tail-end of a road rage incident involving several cars with items being thrown from car to car. The highway Thunder Runners, for some reason, got off Highway 24 and took their road game of into the neighborhoods in Orinda.
Until Nagel put an end to it, that is. The driver of the “getaway” car was cited and released at the scene. The other driver, of course, was one of those affronted on the freeway.
All in a day’s work, Dan Mathews (played by Broderick Crawford, the guy in the helicopter here), would say. 10-4. Over and out until next time…
A carload of road rage people is almost as good as a carload of burglars. No wait a minute – it is JUST AS GOOD!! Tired of these yayhooos taking over the highway and its obviously happening a lot.
Nice catch Chief!
Things started going to hell when your young people stopped saying sir and maam…
Always liked leaders who led from the front. Nice work.
I’ll bet the rage people never saw him coming! There is justice after all!!
He should hire out and do escort duty for people. I drive a lot now and see these road rage incidents almost every day.
How did Broderick Crawford film that without a chin strap for his hat?
Glue? We asked the same thing…
Cited and released at the scene? I hope the idjit at least drove a bit more safely after that slap on the wrist.