Police have shut down the westbound lanes of Highway 24 at Camino Pablo in Orinda after a police pursuit initiated by an OPD officer ended in a grinding crash and fire shortly after 9 a.m.
A written release from the Sheriff’s Office, which contracts police services to several local towns and cities, stated that at about 9:02 a.m. an Orinda police officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop for vehicle code violations in the area of St. Stephens Drive and Tahos Road in Orinda. As the officer approached the vehicle, it fled at a high rate of speed leading the officer on a pursuit, according to the release.
The suspect vehicle entered westbound Highway 24. The officer lost sight of the suspect vehicle and later came upon a single vehicle collision involving the vehicle on Highway 24 near the BART station.
First aid was rendered to the two occupants of the vehicle. They were taken to a local hospital, where one was pronounced deceased. They are not being identified at this time. The officer involved fatal incident protocol has been invoked. This incident is being investigated by the District Attorney’s Office, Office of the Sheriff and CHP.
Anyone who has any information on this incident is asked to contact the Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, please email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.
This incident is evolving. We are updating via our Flash Alert system and posting pertinent details here as we get them.
Thanks for the flash we got off in time. Crazy out here!
We’ll bet. Glad to help…
Picked a great day for lunch in the city.
Beautiful day… just not so nice on our roadways.
It did not look good for that one guy. Definitely got our attention.
Please contact us here: https://news24-680.com/tip-line/ if you have anything you would like to relate.
Thanks for the alert. Traffic is a mess.
Hope it helped but, yes, it’s not nice out there right now…
Another nice quiet morning in our valley.
Surry someone died in this but it’s a hot mess out here right now. Afraid my car is going to overheat.
Took your advice and got off in time.
Any guesses on what was in that car?
It was a Nissan Altima.
Wow. That looks bad.
Husband just called from Saint Stephens and said it is anarchy. He is a very tough guy but he sounded like he wanted to come home!
Another bad decision by the Sheriff”s Orinda police to chase a car. They already caused much property damage with a shoplifting chase, now they have caused a fatality.
Anna, it’s a little early to be making judgements on this one…unless you prefer to not let facts enter into your judgement process.
Actually the driver of the car that didn’t pull over caused the fatality. If the police just let all criminals run the crime rate would skyrocket and there is too much already.
Besides, it looks like the accident would have happened whether the office chased the vehicle or not based on this article…
“As the officer approached the vehicle, it fled at a high rate of speed leading the officer on a pursuit, according to the release.
The suspect vehicle entered westbound Highway 24. The officer lost sight of the suspect vehicle and later came upon a single vehicle collision involving the vehicle on Highway 24 near the BART station.”
Your comment is absurd. Police Officers are trying to protect others – in this case from a fleeing vehicle – and you come up with your wisdom. The victim in this crash was the culprit, and fortunately not others.
Ah, if the driver didn’t run, he’d be alive. Don’t blame the cops. Who do you call when someone breaks into your house? Come on, Anna.
We don’t know the full story but it sounds like the suspect drove off recklessly… causing this accident.
Read the article, Anna. The cops aren’t at fault here. The low down dirty rotten law breakers are. Cops need to uphold the law and catch bad guys.
What kind of car was it
I’m glad that no Innocent people were hurt. The thugs caused their own fate. They should have pulled over. Simple as that.
Since no one has the complete story, we should all withhold our judgements. Also, a life is the most important thing we all possess, someone just lost theirs. To throw words like innocent and thugs about without any information. Shame on you.
I was there. The police did not chase. The story is innacurately described. Car was going maybe 100 miles an hour, we and the rest of traffic were going about 60. There was no police chase, no sirens blasting. The police pulled up after the car had already flipped and flipped and the poor guy had been ejected from the car. So sad. Several of us are lucky not to have been crashed into.
Crashed into by whom, Debbie?