Video shows I-580 wrong-way chase near San Leandro; standoff with vehicle’s occupants

By Carlos E. Castañeda

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office released video of incident last week involving a wrong-way vehicle on Interstate Highway 580 near San Leandro, followed by a standoff and arrest of two people.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that a deputy attempted to pull over a blue Ford Mustang for a traffic violation on Sept. 10 at about 11:25 a.m., but the driver fled. Deputies did not pursue the vehicle out of concern for public safety, and it was instead tracked with automated license plate reader cameras and a drone, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The Mustang was later seen driving westbound on the eastbound lanes of I-580 and it crashed with another vehicle before continuing to flee, the office said. A California Highway Patrol unit joined the chase and attempted a high-risk stop, but the Mustang continued to flee until it became disabled and stopped on the freeway, the office said.

Both occupants refused officers’ commands to exit the vehicle and the freeway was temporarily closed in both directions during the subsequent standoff. The Sheriff’s Office responded with two armored vehicles and the San Leandro Police Department also deployed an armored vehicle to the scene near 150th Avenue.

The passenger eventually exited and surrendered at about 12:26 p.m. while the driver continued to refuse commands, the Sheriff’s Office said. After using a chemical irritant to gain compliance, the driver exited the vehicle at about 12:51 p.m. and was arrested.

Both suspects were taken to a hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening, as was the driver of the vehicle that was struck. No officers were hurt.

Traffic on westbound I-580 was reopened just before 1 p.m., while eastbound 580 lanes were partially reopened by 1:18 p.m. and fully reopened by 1:47 p.m.  

The suspects were not identified.