Peninsula Police Describe Brazen Chase Into East Bay

A robbery suspect and a woman were arrested this week after they led Menlo Park police on a chase into the East Bay and then tried to carjack someone, according to police.

According to Sgt. Kevin Paugh, the incident began to unfold on Tuesday around 4:22 p.m. when an armed robbery was reported at the Ravenswood Pier.

"The caller reported that a private bus driver was approached by a subject armed with a handgun and demanded that the driver turn over his iPad," Paugh said in a news release. "The driver complied with the subjects demands and then left the area, calling his employer who then called police."

Menlo Park police responded to the area right away, and soon found a man who matched the description of the robber sitting in a parked vehicle with another person, according to Paugh. When approached by an officer, the people in the vehicle took off.

After heading east on SR-84 and over the Dumbarton Bridge, police say the driver swerved and struck another car, damaging both vehicles.

"Despite damaging his vehicle, the suspect continued to drive eastbound on SR-84, striking the center divider causing additional damage to his vehicle," the sergeant said. "The driver continued eastbound on Decoto Road. As the suspect approached the intersection of Decoto Road and Alvarado-Niles Road, the suspect swerved over into the oncoming lanes of traffic."

At that point, police stopped pursuing the vehicle "due to the erratic driving behavior of the suspect and the risks it was presenting to other motorists and pedestrians in the area," Paugh said.

Though the duo in the vehicle got away at that point, about 30 minutes later Union City police got word of a possible carjacking happening in that town-- about a mile from where the Menlo Park pursuit ended.

Responding Union City police officers set up a perimeter and found the suspects nearby, trying to run away.

Both suspects were arrested. Menlo Park police identified them as the two suspects who fled the pursuit and found the car they fled in abandoned in a parking lot nearby, according to Menlo Park police.

They also found the iPad stolen from the bus driver but haven't found the gun used in the robbery.

The two suspects were identified as 39-year-old Richard Espinoza of Bay Point and 38-year-old Rayna Slone of Pittsburg. Espinoza, the suspected robber and driver, was booked into San Mateo County jail on suspicion of armed robbery, evading police, hit-and-run, DUI and resisting arrest.

Slone was booked into jail on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance and resisting arrest.

Anyone who witnessed the robbery or pursuit has been asked to contact Menlo Park police Cpl. Luevano at (650) 330-6843 or a tip line at (650) 330-6395.

– Bay City News Service contributed to this report. Image via Shutterstock.