A police pursuit that began in Oakland ended Thursday night in Richmond with an officer-involved shooting that left a kidnapping and murder suspect dead.
The situation began with a kidnapping in Solano County, as the East Bay Times reports, followed by a report that came in to Oakland police about a woman — apparently badly beaten — who was abandoned by the side of the road near Pinehurst Road and Skyline Boulevard in the Oakland hills. A witness reported seeing "a man walking or bicycling down Pinehurst Road with a human body wrapped in a rug or blanket and slung over his shoulder," per the East Bay Times.
This report came in at 6:45 p.m. Thursday, and police then began hunting for the suspect vehicle, a white van. Upon spotting the van, police attempted to pull the vehicle over, but were instead taken on a chase that led north to Richmond, as KPIX reports.
A CHP helicopter assisted in following the vehicle, which was described as a 1999 Chevy cargo van with temporary plates.
The chase ended around 7:30 p.m. in the area of South 37th Street and Stege Avenue in Richmond, where police say that the suspect rammed an Oakland police cruiser. He then allegedly pointed a gun at officers, and police opened fire and fatally shot the suspect in a barrage of bullets. (Witnesses who spoke to the East Bay Times said "dozens" of shots were fired.)
The female victim, meanwhile, was found in Oakland and taken to a hospital in critical condition. As she later died from injuries, according to the East Bay Times. The Chronicle reporting said she was simply admitted in critical condition.
Two Oakland officers suffered minor injuries from the ramming of their vehicle, and one of those was a broken leg.
SFist will update this post when the suspect and the victim have been identified.
The investigation is now ongoing and involves multiple law enforcement agencies including the Oakland and Richmond police departments. Anyone with information about the suspect, the kidnapping and assault, or the officer-involved shooting is asked to call the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office at 925-957-2200 or Sergeant Pomeroy with the Richmond Police Department at 510-620-6616.