An East Bay motorcycle officer suffered a broken leg Wednesday morning after getting into a crash with a stolen car, authorities said.
California Highway Patrol officials say it started when an officer spotted the stolen vehicle about 9:30 a.m. on Interstate 580, near the Interstate 680 interchange, and a chase ensued.
The driver of the car, a black Hyundai, sped away onto I-680 and then onto Dublin city streets. The CHP officers called off the pursuit, following the car from "a great distance" behind, said CHP Officer Derek Reed.
The crash happened about 10:15 a.m., CHP said, when the fleeing driver then tried to make a U-turn on Dublin Boulevard near DeMarcus Boulevard but hit a Dublin police motorcycle officer who was arriving to assist.
#CHP investigators arrive at #Dublin crash where motorcycle cop hurt after chase involving stolen car. pic.twitter.com/BsxRyz6swM
— RobertHanda (@RHandaNBC) December 30, 2015#CHP officer on scene at #Dublin chase/crash of stolen car says all four suspects now in custody pic.twitter.com/ZYTx0UjobY
— RobertHanda (@RHandaNBC) December 30, 2015“It was literally being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” CHP Officer Tyler Hahn said. “They were responding to the area to help with our pursuit, but he was by no means in pursuit of the vehicle at that time."
The officer was taken from the crash scene and into emergency surgery for a broken leg. The suspect in the Hyundai was also examined at another hospital before being booked.
Meanwhile, CHP, Dublin and Pleasanton police, as well as Alameda County Sheriff's deputies swarmed the surrounding neighborhood, chasing after the passengers, two females and a male, who fled the scene. A perimeter was setup and the three were caught after a brief search, Reed said.
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Hahn said he didn’t know whether the driver striking the officer “was intentional or unintentional.”
The four suspects, all San Jose residents, have been detained. The driver will be arrested on suspicion of felony evading police and possession of a stolen vehicle, while the other three occupants will likely be facing charges as well, Reed said.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
