Masked Protesters; Insanity Plea; Concord, East Bay Police Logs

CONCORD, CA — The following is a week's collection of police, courtroom and fire stories from Concord and elsewhere in Contra Costa County and the East Bay.

High-Speed Chase Ends With Injuries On Highway 4 Near Martinez

• Westbound Highway 4 was closed following the pursuit that ended in a crash near Alhambra Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Loud Steam Release At Crockett Plant Prompts Emergency Calls

• Benicia police said its 911 center was inundated with calls about what sounded like an explosion.

Concord Suspects Crash Near Mountain View Police Headquarters

• The trio in a Mercedes-Benz was being sought on suspicion of vehicle burglary when they hit a sign at the rear entrance to MVPD.

Martinez, Vallejo Pair Accused In Orinda Halloween Shooting

• The two men were booked into jail on suspicion of "charges related to the Orinda shooting," the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office says.

Contra Costa County Coroner Identifies Concord Homicide Victim

• The 45-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds; he was treated at the scene then rushed to a hospital but did not survive.

Suspects Protesting Berkeley Group Arrested In Robes, Masks: Cops

• The suspects, including at least one Berkeley resident, blocked the entrance to Westminster Woods camp, Sonoma County authorities said.

Concord Man Accused In Fatal Petaluma Shooting: Police

• After a 6-week investigation, Petaluma police traveled to the East Bay early Friday and arrested a 26-year-old man on suspicion of homicide.

Outgoing Contra Costa Co. Clerk-Recorder Fined, May Face Charges

• The California Fair Political Practices Commission voted unanimously to accept a settlement deal with longtime politician Joe Canciamilla.

BART Rider Arrested For Eating Sandwich Files Legal Claim

• A lawyer for the 31-year-old black man says "there was an undercurrent of a racial component" to the incident — video of which went viral.

Man Pleads Not Guilty, Claims Insanity In BART Slaying

• Eighteen-year-old Nia Wilson was stabbed to death last year at the MacArthur BART station in Oakland.

Suspect Arrested In Connection With Robbery Spree

• The man is linked to at least 10 robberies and thefts in San Leandro and surrounding cities, police said.

Catalytic Converter Thefts On The Rise In Albany

• Thieves are after the metals, police said. Lightweight cars, such as Priuses, and trucks can be easy targets.

Suspect Arrested For Shooting Near UC Berkeley

• The victim, in his 20s, described as an innocent bystander, was shot Nov. 10 and hospitalized in serious condition, officials said.

Cold Case Rape Arrest: Man Accused In Union City, Livermore Cases

• Gregory Paul Vien, now 60, has been tied to two brutal sexual assaults that occurred in 1997: police. See the list of cities he frequented.

Pedestrian Killed On San Pablo Dam Road

• The 36-year-old was crossing the roadway when struck Thursday evening, the CHP said.

Can You ID This Arsonist?

• San Leandro Police say he poured an accelerant onto a tire and set an SUV on fire. It was destroyed.

$60M Pleasanton Ponzi Scheme: Man Gets 10 Years In Prison

• A second man has been sentenced in connection with a Ponzi scheme involving two shuttered Pleasanton investment companies.

Carjacking, Kidnapping In Fremont: Man Arrested, Police Say

• The case began as an attempted theft at a store and quickly escalated. Police recovered a loaded AK 47, a loaded AR 15, a hood, and gloves.

Toddler Boy Kidnapping Attempt: Berkeley Man Arrested

• Police tracked down, arrested Marcus Deberry, Jr., following the alleged kidnapping attempt at the Claremont branch library.

6 People Shot In 2 Days In Richmond

• One person remains in critical condition, police said.

Shooter Report False & Social Post Harmless At St. Mary's

• Reports of an active shooter on campus Thursday turned out to be false, police said.

Man Killed In I-80 Crash In Berkeley Monday Identified

• A 27-year-old man was killed when his car was struck from behind by a car whose driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel, police said.

Richmond Officer Threatened With Gun Before Shooting: Vallejo PD

• Richmond Police Sgt. Virgil Thomas has 27 years with the department.

San Pablo Shooting Death: Investigation

• The body was found in a parked car Wednesday morning.

Richmond Woman Tied To Carjacking Suspect: Police

• The case began as an attempted theft at a store and quickly escalated. Police recovered a loaded AK 47, a loaded AR 15, a hood, and gloves.

After Fatal Stabbing, BART Promises Increased Policing

• Following the fatal stabbing Tuesday of Oliver Williams on a BART train, increased policing has been promised throughout the transit system.

BART Workers Voice Safety Concerns In Wake Of Fatal Stabbing

• Jermaine Brim, 39, was charged with murder Thursday in the stabbing death Tuesday of Oliver Williams on a BART train.

Sexual Assault Charges: Livermore Man Denies 1997 Rapes

• The Livermore man charged with sexually assaulting two women in 1997 after his DNA was collected on a spoon plead not guilty Wednesday.

Fentanyl, Heroin Found During Pleasanton Traffic Stop

• Rishi Choudhry, 28, of Pleasanton, Jessica Harbin, 33, and Titus Norton, 27, both of San Francisco, were arrested.

Porch Pirates In Audi A7 Arrested: Pleasanton Police

• A Laguna Oaks resident and his video home surveillance system helped capture the alleged thieves.

Discovery Bay Motorcyclist Killed In Livermore Crash

• Thomas Edward Roach, 62, died at the scene on S. Vasco Road.

Santa Rita Inmates Live In 'Squalor,' Lawsuit Says

• Inmates said Dublin's Santa Rita jail were filthy, hazardous and inadequate in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed Tuesday.

Former Model In Livermore Speaks Out Against Epstein Associate

• Women like Courtney Powell Soerensen are calling for a more in-depth investigation by French officials into modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel.

DNA On Spoon Leads To Arrest In 1997 Sexual Assaults, Police Say

• Gregory Paul Vien, now 60, has been tied to two brutal sexual assaults that occurred in 1997, and police believe he may have other victims.