San Leandro police make 2nd arrest in officer run over case

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. -- San Leandro police have arrested a second suspect in connection with a case where a car used to strike an officer during a well-being check Thursday morning. It's an incident that prompted officers to open fire on the vehicle, a police spokesman said this afternoon.

Lt. Robert McManus said officers received a report around 7:20 a.m. from a resident in the 600 block of Broadmoor Boulevard of an unfamiliar vehicle in the residential neighborhood.

When an officer arrived on scene, two occupants were inside the car, a 19-year-old East Oakland man and an unidentified woman, McManus said.

The 19-year-old got out of the car and tried to run away from the officer. There was a brief struggle, and McManus said the officer had the man pinned up against a parked car near the suspect vehicle.

A second officer arrived at the scene and was walking up to help the first officer when the driver of the suspect vehicle accelerated, narrowly missing the 19-year-old man and striking the second officer, McManus said.

"The officer was not only hit by a car, he was run over by the car," McManus said. "You can imagine the weight of a vehicle running over your body and the damage that could cause."

McManus said there was a "substantial" amount of blood at the scene from the officer's injuries.

McManus said one or both of the officers opened fire on the suspect vehicle in self-defense. He said the car is a 1995 white four-door Nissan Maxima, which police determined was stolen out of Oakland.

The driver drove away and eventually abandoned the car in east Oakland. A San Leandro police officer found the car two or three hours later, he said.

There was evidence of bullet holes in the car, but McManus said the police department is not yet releasing information about how many shots the officers fired at the suspect.

Police had a good idea of who the person was behind the wheel and late Thursday afternoon they announced an arrest.

The injured officer, an 18 to 20 year veteran of the force, was transported to a local hospital and McManus said he is undergoing surgery his afternoon.

"If you were to meet him, he is one of the nicest men you will talk to," said Lt. McManus.

The 19-year-old is being held in police custody on suspicion of two counts of attempted murder, resisting arrest, and several outstanding warrants for traffic violations. He may additionally be charged with stealing a car, McManus said.