Home NEWS Police/Fire High-Speed Pursuit From Moraga, Through Orinda Monday

High-Speed Pursuit From Moraga, Through Orinda Monday

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Locals may have noticed another high-speed pursuit from Moraga out Moraga Way through Orinda Monday afternoon, Moraga PD on the tail of individuals in a car spotted at the Moraga Service Center.

The incident, reported at approximately 1:22 p.m., kicked off when officers spotted a black Ford Taurus with a mismatched license plate. The car pulled into the Valero with two men reportedly getting out and walking into the station’s office while officers watched.

One man exited, got into the Taurus and sped away with officers in pursuit as the fleeing car reached speeds estimated at upwards of 70mph out Moraga Way, apparently headed for Orinda and Highway 24. Witnesses reported the driver of the Taurus took evasive action in an attempt to throw off his pursuers. Reports that at least one other car was struck could not be immediately confirmed.

The fleeing car eventually made it to Highway 24 and through the Caldecott Tunnel. It was not believed to have been stopped on the Oakland/Berkeley side though Moraga police doubled back to search for a possible second individual observed near Valero before the pursuit got underway.

That man was initially described as Hispanic, about 6 feet tall, 185 pounds. He was not believed to have been located as this is written.

21 COMMENTS

  1. I think once they get back thru the Caldecott tunnel to the Oakland- Berkeley side, they just disappear and never be caught.
    (I laugh when the car was described as a Ford Taurus. Those have not been made in years! Most often these thugs seem to be driving black Mercedes lately)

    • btw Greg they did make the Taurus up until about 2 years ago, Ford is pro at recycling old names. You probably just didn’t recognize them.

  2. Ah yes, the magical Caldecott tunnel, beyond which Contra Costa cops apparently lose all peace officer powers and must instantly abandon all attempts at apprehending the criminals who terrorize our streets.

    • Not quite, James, but there are jurisdictional issues at play. Officers from the CoCo side frequently stray across county lines in pursuit of Bad Boys and Girls…

      • Are the jurisdictional issues for arresting them or simply continuing to follow them? Can’t an Oakland or Berk cop get there pretty quickly if there is a ccc officer following and its known which way they are going? Seems odd to me.

        • Hey, YHHH, first – coppers we know are like racehorses when it comes to corralling a bad guy. So they are prone to pursue. The issue is that if one of ours leaves it can leave a beat uncovered as he/she carries on into neighboring counties. It should also be pointed out that police are in radio contact and share information of running bad guys, so often there’s a reception committee waiting for them on the other side…

  3. This story is wrong, it was at Moraga service center. I was working and sold them muscle milk and a 7up. If the police had boxed in the car there never would have been a high speed chase. They approached the front door giving the bad guy time to run to his car while the other one casually strolled away in the opposite direction. They were both white males around 30. The one that strolled away was 6’2 about 250 lbs.

  4. Why did I not get the “alert”? I would have continued the pursuit through the tunnel.

    Firestone 11R

    p.s. pursuit was likely cancelled by management because no known crime, other than plates, was known.

    • Re: “Alerts”
      Are you signed up to receive alerts in Moraga and Orinda? If not, that’s why…
      Your current “beat assignment” appears to be Walnut Creek!

      Stay Safe Out There/Make Us Proud!

        • Uh, you are killing us! We know you’re poking fun and so are we mostly, but look for an email from us on this. Need some additional details.

          Carry on.

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