Police Confirm Lockdown Linked to Murders

Wednesday night’s lockdown of a neighborhood in Newark is connected to an East Palo Alto police investigation of two men suspected of a series of homicides, police said Friday.

SWAT teams comprised of Newark and Union City police officers were called to Portsmouth Avenue near Newark Lake around 6:37 p.m. Wednesday to help in the East Palo Alto police investigation, said Commander Bob Douglas of the Newark Police Department.

The drama unfolded when police spotted a vehicle registered to one of two men suspected of two murders – one in East Palo Alto and another in Grand Junction, CO.

Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver fled, leading police and CHP officers on 65-mile chase through the East Bay. The chase ended in Lathrop, near Manteca in the Central Valley.

While the pursuit was going on, in the 5600 block of Portsmouth, and neighbors were ordered to stay inside their homes until around 4:30 a.m.

Acting Captain Jeff Liu of the East Palo Alto Police Department confirmed Friday that the 10-hour lockdown of the Newark neighborhood was connected to the car chase, which ended in the arrests of two men — who actually were not the suspects that the police were seeking.

One of the men who was arrested lives at the Portsmouth Avenue residence targeted by the SWAT teams, according to Liu. No other suspects were found at the home.

Streets were blocked off from the 35100 block of Blackburn Drive to Portsmouth Avenue at Abington Drive during the lockdown.

During the lockdown, residents of Abington Drive were told to stay indoors and that a person was barricaded inside of a home. Residents arriving home were not allowed into their homes, and the streets were blocked off to traffic.

Follow us on Twitter and on Facebook to keep up with the latest news.