HAYWARD, Calif. – Officers with the Hayward Police Department in Northern California were dispatched to a disturbance in the 21000 block of Gary Drive on Oct. 24. at approximately 9:56 a.m. A man reportedly got into an argument with his ex-girlfriend’s mother and was subsequently locked out of the home. Multiple callers said the man at his ex-girlfriends residence was not only armed with a handgun, but was shooting at her vehicle.
The suspect was seen leaving the area driving a gray Mercedes sedan. Officers located the car as it fled eastbound on Grove Avenue. Patrol units tried to perform a high risk traffic stop, but the suspect failed to yield and a vehicle pursuit was initiated, Breaking 911 reported.
The suspect fled through unincorporated Hayward and onto eastbound Highway 580. During the pursuit, officers were able to observe the weapon in the man’s possession. The driver reached speeds exceeding 85 mph before he left the freeway and continued northbound Eden Canyon Road. In an attempt to end the dangerous chase and capture the gunman, police initiated a pursuit intervention technique (PIT) technique.
Officers forced the suspect vehicle onto an embankment just north of Highway 580 on Eden Canyon Road. While trying to block the suspect from further escape, an officer got his leg pinned between his patrol unit and the Mercedes.
The suspect exited his disabled car and took off on foot, running northbound on Eden Canyon Road. He was carrying a firearm in his hand as he ran away from an officer giving him numerous commands and warning him that deadly force could be used.
The exhaustive foot chase lasted about 1 minute and 25 seconds until a woman driving a white Jeep Wrangler southbound on Eden Canyon Road was stopped by the fleeing man.
Officers saw the suspect point his handgun at the driver and try to open her vehicle door. Police intervened to prevent further danger to the woman and shot the armed gunman. He was taken into custody and received medical aid before being transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital. However, he was pronounced dead at the medical facility, according to Deputy Chief Bryan Matthews of the Hayward Police Department.
WATCH HAYWARD POLICE DEPARTMENT DEBRIEFING OF OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING
Police have not released the name of the deceased suspect or the names of the officers involved in the shooting due to threats made against them. Authorities said the man had no criminal history prior to the date of his death.
The woman inside the oncoming Jeep was not injured during the shooting, Matthews said.
A loaded firearm was recovered at the scene. Two officers, including the one pinned between the automobiles, received medical treatment for minor injuries at local hospitals.
The shooting occurred in the jurisdiction of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. Therefore, their agency is taking the lead on the OIS investigation.