OAKLAND, CA — A man was killed and a woman seriously injured Wednesday evening after a California Highway Patrol (CHP) pursuit in East Oakland ended when the suspect’s vehicle struck two pedestrians on a sidewalk.
According to officials with the Oakland Police Department (OPD), the pursuit began shortly before 7:45 p.m. with assistance from a CHP aircraft but was called off soon after it started. Despite the chase ending, the suspect continued driving recklessly before losing control near the intersection of 12th Avenue and East 21st Street.
“At that location, the driver struck two pedestrians,” OPD said in a statement released Thursday. “The suspect exited the vehicle and fled on foot but was quickly apprehended by CHP officers.”
Oakland police arrived promptly and found the victims, a man and a woman in their 40s and residents of Oakland, with severe injuries. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, while the woman was transported to a hospital and remains in stable condition.
The crash comes amid ongoing debates over pursuit policies in Oakland. Current OPD rules restrict officers from initiating high-speed chases except under certain conditions, such as when a suspect is involved in a violent crime or is armed. Since 2022, chases at speeds above 50 mph require supervisor approval, a policy credited with reducing pursuits in Oakland by nearly half—from 130 in 2022 to 68 so far in 2024.
However, CHP officers operate under different guidelines that do not impose the same speed or pursuit restrictions.
In response to the incident and several recent law enforcement-related crashes in the Bay Area, the Anti Police-Terror Project, a local police accountability group, criticized city and state leaders, including Governor Gavin Newsom and OPD Chief Floyd Mitchell.
“These chases are not about public safety. They are about showing force,” said Cat Brooks, co-founder of the group. “They are about domination. And they are turning our streets into battlegrounds where Black and Brown lives are treated as expendable.”
Brooks announced a candlelight vigil for the victims, scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. at the crash site of 12th Avenue and East 21st Street. The group is calling on city leaders to reject any efforts to loosen pursuit policies and to end all high-speed chases in densely populated urban areas.
Oakland police have asked anyone with information about the incident to contact the OPD Traffic Section at (510) 777-8570. Videos and photos can also be submitted to cidvideos@oaklandca.gov.
CHP officials have not yet responded to requests for comment.