09/23/16 Hayward, CA – MV Crash Site – Man Steals Patrol Car – Police Pursuit – Crash On San Mateo Bridge – 3 Other Vehicles Involved In Crash – Patrol Car Rolled Over

September 23, 2016

mercurynews.com

A Hayward man who stole a police cruiser and led officers on a high-speed chase was arrested Thursday night after crashing near the San Mateo Bridge.

The suspect, 28-year-old Jeffery Chambers, was arrested on suspicion of motor vehicle theft, evading, theft, non-injury hit and run vehicle collision and injury hit and run vehicle collision, according to Hayward police.

The chain of events began Thursday at 9:39 p.m. when Chambers was one of several people involved in a vehicle crash at Oaks Drive and Roxbury Avenue, according to police.

Chambers was seeking medical attention from the Hayward Fire Department when he suddenly got up and ran to a parked and running Hayward police patrol car, police said. Chambers sat in the driver’s seat and drove off at a high rate of speed, according to a police press release.

The police car had been parked on the roadway with emergency lights on to direct on-coming traffic around the collision scene, police said. The officer who was driving the patrol car was on foot nearby dealing with the initial collision, according to Hayward police Sgt. Ryan Cantrell.

A broadcast of the stolen vehicle was immediately sent out to neighboring law enforcement agencies. Hayward officers spotted the stolen car driving through the intersection of Jackson Street and Santa Clara Avenue at a high rate of speed. Officers pursued the stolen vehicle as it headed west on Highway 92.

The chase ended after the stolen police car was involved in a multi-car collision between the Clawiter Road exit and the toll plaza. The stolen car rolled over and into a ravine.

Chambers was arrested and taken to local hospital for medical treatment. He is expected to make his first court appearance today.

The California Highway Patrol investigated the collision that occurred on Hwy 92

It is a police industry standard to leave patrol cars running at accident scenes, Cantrell said.

“All of the lights, sirens and electronics in a patrol vehicle require the batteries to stay charged,” Cantrell said. “In this instance, the officer was using his vehicle and the emergency lights to divert traffic around the collision.”