1 Dead, 1 Injured Following Oakland CHP Chase

OAKLAND, CA — One bystander was killed and another badly hurt after California Highway Patrol officers chased a suspect in East Oakland on Wednesday evening.

A little before 7:45 p.m., CHP officers, with assistance from an aircraft, chased a suspect in East Oakland but called off the pursuit shortly after it began, according to Oakland Police Department officials.

"After the pursuit ended, the vehicle continued to drive recklessly and traveled to the area of 12th Avenue and East 21st Street, where the driver lost control and struck two pedestrians on the sidewalk," OPD officials said in a news release Thursday. "The suspect exited the vehicle and ran but was taken into custody by CHP."

Oakland police officers soon arrived and found the pedestrians -- a man and a woman in their 40s, both Oakland residents -- suffering from severe injuries.

The man died at the scene of the crash and the woman was taken to a hospital, where she was listed in stable condition, according to police.

The crash comes at a sensitive time for the CHP and Oakland police, whose leadership -- Gov. Gavin Newsom and OPD Chief Floyd Mitchell -- have both advocated for loosening the rules governing how and when OPD officers can chase suspects.

Currently, OPD's policy allows officers to chase people suspected of a violent crime, people who used a gun while committing a crime and people who are suspected of having a gun in their possession.

Also, since 2022, officers haven't been allowed to chase suspects on city streets at speeds over 50 mph without authorization from a supervisor.

That policy, which Mitchell is considering rescinding, has reduced the number of chases in Oakland neighborhoods from 130 in 2022 to 68 in 2024, a 47 percent decline, according to OPD statistics.

CHP officers don't have the same restrictions as their Oakland colleagues.

On Thursday, a local police watchdog organization, the Anti Police-Terror Project, criticized Newsom and Mitchell in the wake of what it said were four recent Bay Area law enforcement crashes that have resulted in death or injury.

"These chases are not about public safety. They are about showing force," said Cat Brooks, the group's co-founder. "They are about domination. And they are turning our streets into battlegrounds where Black and Brown lives are treated as expendable."
Brooks said there will be a candlelight vigil for the victims on Friday at 6 p.m. at the intersection of 12th Avenue and East 21st Street.

City leaders should resist efforts to loosen the chase policy, she said, and demanded a halt to all high-speed chases in densely populated urban areas.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the OPD Traffic Section at (510) 777-8570. Videos and photos can be sent to cidvideos@oaklandca.gov.

CHP officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

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