What started as a routine shoplifting call in Lafayette yesterday spiraled into a wrong-way getaway, a crash at a busy intersection, and a full-blown search involving multiple agencies and helicopters. By the end of the day, one suspect was in custody, another was still missing, and two people from a struck vehicle had been taken to a local hospital as a precaution.
Police account and response
According to a Lafayette Police Department post, officers were dispatched around 2:13 PM for a report that two shoplifters had taken items from a business on the 3500 block of Mt. Diablo Boulevard. The suspects took off in a silver Honda, and an officer tried to pull the car over on Pleasant Hill Road.
That stop did not last long. Police say the driver headed north in the southbound lanes of Pleasant Hill Road, prompting the officer to call off the pursuit for safety reasons. Orinda police and Contra Costa County sheriff’s deputies then set up a perimeter while K-9 units and other officers began searching the area.
Crash and search details
Shortly after the pursuit was terminated, the Honda collided with another vehicle near Pleasant Hill Road, and emergency crews rushed to the scene, according to KTVU. Aerial footage and live coverage showed sheriff’s vehicles and medical personnel clustered around the crash site.
Authorities briefly shut down Springhill Road at Green Valley Drive during the search effort. Investigators told KTVU that the suspects were described as males in their early 20s and that one of them remained on the run as of Tuesday evening.
Arrest, booking and next steps
A Contra Costa County sheriff K-9 team eventually tracked down one suspect, who was taken into custody and booked into the Martinez Detention Facility, according to the Lafayette Police Department. During the manhunt, the California Highway Patrol and East Bay Regional Park District police provided helicopter support overhead.
Police say the investigation is active and ongoing. The department is asking anyone with information to email [email protected] or call the Lafayette Police Department at (925) 284-5010.
Retail theft on Mt. Diablo Boulevard
The incident is the latest in a series of retail crimes to rattle Mount Diablo Boulevard. Earlier this spring, a smash-and-grab at Ware Designs drew heavy attention from merchants and neighbors already concerned about theft in the area, NBC Bay Area reported.
Lafayette police have not yet released details about what was taken in Tuesday’s shoplifting case. Investigators are asking anyone with video or other information to come forward as they work to piece together exactly how the theft turned into a dangerous wrong-way crash and a neighborhood-wide search.
