Teen Leads Hercules Police on Pursuit on I-80 in Stolen Car

Hercules police arrested a juvenile driving a stolen vehicle Monday after he was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run crash and led police on a chase on Interstate Highway 80. At 12:21 p.m. Monday, police responded to a report of a hit-and-run that had just occurred 10 minutes earlier in a Lucky Supermarket parking lot located at 1590 Sycamore Ave., police said.

Police described the suspect’s vehicle as a white Toyota Camry that had been reported stolen to Pinole police earlier that day. Police received a tip that the Camry was heading south on Refugio Valley Road and began to follow the vehicle, according to police. When police spotted the vehicle turning right onto northbound Refugio Valley Road from Lavender Place, police noticed a single male was driving the Camry, police said.

As the officer continued to follow the Camry into Country Run, the driver struck a street sign and bushes, as well as a fire hydrant, police said. A second officer set up stop sticks at the exit to Country Run on Refugio Valley Road. The driver was able to avoid the stop sticks by driving onto the curb before turning right onto northbound Refugio Valley Road, police said. The officer continued to pursue the suspect vehicle down Refugio Valley Road to Sycamore Avenue.

The suspect vehicle then collided with another vehicle before driving up and over the center island on Sycamore Avenue at Willow Avenue, knocking over a sign, according to police. The suspect continued heading west on Sycamore Avenue and turned right onto northbound San Pablo Avenue, entering westbound I-80. On the highway, police said the suspect drove recklessly between the first and fourth lanes, reaching speeds of up to 100 mph. After exiting I-80 at Richmond Parkway and Fitzgerald Drive, the suspect crashed the Camry into the concrete center divider, police said.

The suspect fled on foot, jumping over the center divider and running up the hillside separating the off-ramp and Richmond Parkway. Officers set up a perimeter with the assistance of a Pinole police K-9 unit, according to police. Police then located the suspect hiding in bushes, approximately 20 feet down the hillside, police said. The suspect yelled out that he wanted to surrender and police took him into custody and identified him as a 14-year-old San Pablo resident, according to police.

The boy’s name is not being released because he is a juvenile. Police discovered that his mother had reported the boy as a runaway on Sunday.

The owner of the Camry later identified the juvenile as one of the people who stole the car earlier that morning, according to police. Police arrested the teen on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, auto theft, evading arrest and three counts of hit-and-run, police said. Police took him to a hospital for medical clearance before taking him to juvenile hall.

By Bay City News

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