Lafayette Officer Injured In Tuesday Morning Pursuit, Crash

A Lafayette police officer and a civilian were taken to a local hospital for observation as a precaution after an early-morning police pursuit and crash at Pleasant Hill and Old Tunnel roads Tuesday.

Police spokesman Jimmy Lee said things started at about 7:10 a.m. when an Orinda police officer was investigating a suspicious vehicle at the California Shakespeare Theater off Highway 24 near Orinda.

The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, which did not yield, leading the officer on a pursuit on eastbound Highway 24, Lee said.

The officer terminated the pursuit after losing sight of the car in the area of Pleasant Hill Road.

Another officer spotted the suspect vehicle on Olympic Oaks Drive in Lafayette. The suspect continued to flee, leading the officer on a pursuit.

In the area of Pleasant Hill Road and Old Tunnel Road, the officer was involved in a collision with an unrelated car.

The officer and driver were taken to the hospital as a precaution.

The suspect vehicle was last seen getting on eastbound Highway 24.