Home NEWS Local Scene Consecutive Thunder Runs Shake Up Lamorinda, The 24/680 Friday Night

Consecutive Thunder Runs Shake Up Lamorinda, The 24/680 Friday Night

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We weren’t going to say anything at all, serving our Flash Subscribers with news of two consecutive Thunder Runs through the area Friday night – one taking a circuitous path through most of Lamorinda – but we’re still getting: “What was with all the police cars last night?” questions, sooo…

Those who know us best know we like to address the news as it’s happening and we did that last night, pumping out a record number of Flash Alerts to subscribers in Lamorinda and sending our first one ever to Laos of all places! We liked hearing about that one, made us feel all… international.

Most of you who care know by now but Friday was something of a “cranker,” marked by lights and sirens and with suspects gone in an instant with only the hint of gasoline and fear left behind. At the height of the action our Adam, aka The Flashmaster, cranked out a record 36 Flash Alerts to various locales lit up by lights and sirens and the sound of squealing tires.

The first one was a 120mph straight shot out westbound Highway 24 with police after the occupant of a car that had attracted their attention, the driver apparently not too mindful about contact with other cars – he was last seen taking the exit into downtown Berkeley.

The second was a short time later when the driver of a Lincoln with a lowered or dragging rear end (the car, not the driver) failed to yield to an Orinda PD officer and led that officer, and then a growing string of others – on a 70mph tour of Lamorinda from Moraga Way down Moraga Road out to Mt. Diablo and back onto westbound Highway 24 – also managing to get away but not before jettisoning what turned out to be an AirSoft gun on Moraga Way during the chase.

What does it all mean? We don’t know. But apparently we had a couple of folks up to no good last night and they didn’t want to stop and talk things over with police.

And we chose Social Distortion’s gravelly “Bad Luck” as the sound track for this exercise because Adam had it up waaaay loud while keeping people updated last evening and it seemed appropriate background music for a nutty night.

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32 COMMENTS

  3. We saw the second one racing like a bat out of hell down Mount Diablo. Lots of police. Too bad he got away. We thought he might crasdh

  5. I can empathize with that Lincoln. At my age, my rear end is dragging a lot these days, too.

    And, ummmm, I’m still not convinced that “Flashmaster” is the best nickname. A lot of different ways that title could be taken.

    • We wondered who’d pick up on the draggy rear chassis thing! And Adam loves his “title” so it’s sticking!

  6. Those alerts saved us again last night. We were on Mount Diablo when the police parade whizzed by! We pulled over as soon as you said.

  9. I don’t understand how so many people nowadays just want to outrun the police. We were taught and taught well, that if you hear a siren or lights, you pull over.. there were consequences if you did not! I guess there’s no consequences for anything anymore.

    • Our Flash Alert Manager sure thinks so! We’ve been listening to their Greatest Hits for the past 48 hours!

  12. Ladies in the checkout at Safeway were talking about hearing sirens last night – I refrained from being the know it all and cluing them in!

    • Yes. Lots of people heard those sirens! Believe they found the AirSoft in the 100 block of Moraga Way.

  15. A shame that they got away but I am glad no one was hurt in this. We saw some of the second one and it was insane.

    • It’s not our policy to discuss what we know of police policy, Barbara, but we can say protocols are in place for pursuits of this type and that the police do have radios and helicopters and stuff. We’ll say they have adopted a measured response to pursuits due to the potential threat they present to the public. Little Moraga got a close up and personal look at a Thunder Runner the other night and – while not frequent – they are occurring on a fairly regular basis.

    • Indeed. We have moved on into a Bluegrass Phase but The Bunker was rocking with Social D there for a couple of days!

  20. This Lincoln: is it white or very light in color? I have seen, twice now, an older Town Car with a blown-out pneumatic suspension system, traveling on Highway 24 Westbound through Lamorinda. The driver is erratic and aggressive, and we make sure to steer clear.

    We got the flash just as the sirens were audible, and were happy to be visiting with out-of-town friends around the fire on the back deck, Pinot Noir in hand, and not out on the road as the sounds of roaring engines along Moraga Way and Glorietta Blvd in Orinda filled the warm evening air.

    • Jeepers, Gfulcher, you can write! You had us right there with you out on that deck, glass in hand! Anyhoo… yes, interesting that you would come up with this as the car in question (which whooshed past witnesses on Moraga Road at about 65mph) is an older car, white in color. Also, as has been noted by some who witnessed this pursuit, the driver seemed to know where he was going so some familiarity with the area may be present.

      Now, if we can just “borrow” the second graf of your post for our next Flash Testimonial! ;-}

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