A woman who was killed in a crash in Orinda on Tuesday while fleeing from police in a stolen pickup truck has been identified as 27-year-old Hayward resident Christina Ramos, Contra Costa County sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said.
The death began in a bizarre case involving two stolen vehicles. A woman noticed not one, but two of her home vehicles driving by. She knew her Subaru had been stolen, but said she was shocked to see her pickup following close behind. The woman called 911 and officers from Moraga and Orinda police responded.
An Orinda police officer spotted the pickup truck, got behind it and turned on his lights and sirens, but the driver did not pull over, Lee said.
The officer chased the pickup north on Camino Pablo, but then lost sight of it, Lee said.
A short time later, the officer came upon the pickup truck, which had crashed into a power pole on Camino Pablo just north of Miner Road.
The truck was badly mangled and the driver, later identified as Ramos, was pronounced dead at the scene, Lee said.
An autopsy conducted Wednesday found that she died from a blunt force head injury, Lee said.
While the chase was happening in Orinda, another officer spotted the stolen Subaru and chased it west on state Highway 24. That officer also lost sight of the vehicle, Lee said.
It was found abandoned a short time later with the engine still running on Hidden Valley Road in Lafayette, Lee said.
Detectives were still working this afternoon to identify the person who stole the Subaru.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call investigators at (925) 313-2630.
