Several NEWS24/680 readers queried us about a substantial police presence I680 in Pleasanton Wednesday morning and we can confirm that, no, you weren’t imagining things.
Here’s what you saw:
Several officers turned out to the area of Stoneridge and Denker Drive shortly after 9 a.m. after police spotted a stolen BMW X5 driving west on Stoneridge.
The car was reportedly stolen in the Santa Cruz area. Police initiated a traffic stop but the driver increased speed in an attempt to evade officers, eventually driving the wrong way on the I-680 northbound off-ramp continuing onto the freeway in a further effort to evade capture. Officers terminated the pursuit as the vehicle drove dangerously southbound on the northbound direction of I-680, police said in a social media post.
Officers were still able to see the BMW as it pulled to the shoulder just south of the W. Las Positas overcrossing and watched as the driver got out of the car and headed eastbound towards South San Ramon Creek – hopping over the guardrail. Police lost sight of the suspect – a white male adult in his late 20s with a shaved head and wearing a white t-shirt – as he went down the embankment into the creek.
Officers eventually identified the suspect as Jeremy Castleberry, 28, who is apparently known to frequent the Santa Cruz area.
Officers established a perimeter in the area where Castleberry was last seen but were unable to locate him after a 2-hour search.
Police said Castleberry has several felony warrants for his arrest from Alameda County for identity theft, burglary, and forgery. He may still be in the area, and police asked anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact the Pleasanton Police Department at (925) 931-5100.
Yea saw a bunch of police on the side of the freeway as I was thankfully heading south. Flak jackets and everything. Glad to be moving on.