Police Capture Suspect After Wrong-Way Escape, Crash, Manhunt

LAMORINDA, CA — A suspected shoplifting case erupted into a police pursuit, a wrong-way dash through traffic, a crash, and a manhunt involving helicopters and a K-9 unit before authorities captured one suspect and launched a search for another.

Lafayette police officers responded at about 2:13 p.m. Tuesday to a business in the 3500 block of Mt. Diablo Boulevard after receiving reports that two shoplifting suspects took merchandise and fled in a silver Honda.

A Lafayette officer who spotted the Honda on Pleasant Hill Road tried to stop the vehicle.

The driver refused to stop, Lafayette police said, and led officers on a chase. Police terminated the pursuit when the Honda traveled north in the southbound lanes, putting motorists at risk.

Police caught up with the Honda after the driver crashed into another vehicle. The suspects abandoned the Honda and fled on foot, according to the Lafayette Police Department.

Officers from the Orinda Police Department, deputies from the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office Valley Station, and helicopters from the California Highway Patrol and East Bay Regional Park District Police joined the search.

Authorities established a perimeter around the area as officers searched for the suspects.

A Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office K-9 tracked down one suspect, who deputies arrested and booked into the Martinez Detention Facility. The second suspect remained at large Tuesday.

The two occupants of the vehicle struck by the fleeing Honda were transported to a local hospital as a precaution, police said.

Authorities closed Pleasant Hill Road at Springhill Road and Green Valley Drive in both directions during the search and warned drivers to avoid the area.

Police are still searching for the second suspect. Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Lafayette Police Department at (925) 284-5010 or email tips to 94549tip@gmail.com.