1 killed, 3 arrested in Alameda Co. after high-speed chase, struggle with authorities, officials say

ByLena Howland KGO logo

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

1 killed in Alameda Co. after chase, struggle with authorities

One person is dead and a CHP officer is injured after a chase led to an altercation between authorities and three suspects early Monday morning.

ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- Authorities fatally shot a man who investigators say was assaulting a CHP officer early Monday morning following a high-speed chase in the East Bay.

According to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, a CHP officer was following a car on eastbound I-580 when it crashed after exiting at 164th Ave in Ashland, which falls in unincorporated Alameda County jurisdiction.

"When the reporting party heard the crash, they looked out and saw three people, they just saw suspects running from the vehicle," Lt. Tya Modeste, a spokesperson for the Alameda County Sheriff's Office said.

Leading the CHP officer on a short foot chase through the neighborhood, ending up in a fight with the suspects who had on ski masks, just as a deputy from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office showed up to respond to the crash.

"At the time that our deputy showed up, the two suspects were on the ground fighting the CHP officer, they were trying to disarm him," Modeste said. "There was a period of time when we only knew that there were two suspects, the two that were fighting with the officer, when shots were fired -- one took off. With the use of our drone we got a heat source in the immediate area that told us that one person was still hiding in the area."

Video is from a previous update

The sheriff's office says both the CHP officer and sheriff's deputy fired their weapons, killing one man.

The second suspect, was taken into custody, as well as a third that was later found hiding in the neighborhood by using drone technology. A fourth suspect was also taken into custody.

Authorities announced Monday afternoon all four of the suspects are men.

"It's scary, it's scary, you never know if it could be you next, we could have been out walking our dog or something," one neighbor who did not want to be identified said.

A neighbor who didn't want to talk on camera says although she didn't hear the incident first-hand, she says it's not surprising as she hears people getting pulled over almost every single night.

"This is so sad, how could it not be?" she said. "A life was lost, regardless of what they did before, it's a life, it's a person, it's sad."

While others like Ryan Heath, who had been dog-sitting nearby for the past two weeks, wonder what sparked the chase in the first place.

"It was probably something really small, then all of the sudden, you're dealing with like families that have lost a member but then you're also dealing with police officers that are worried about their own life being put on the front line like that, it's pretty harsh," Heath said. "It's a lose, lose in my opinion."

According to the sheriff's office, the CHP officer is hurt but is expected to be OK.

The California Department of Justice announced it has taken over the investigation.

Editor's Note: A public information officer with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office revised the number of additional suspects arrested from two to three Monday afternoon after our story aired.