A high-speed chase by California Highway Patrol officers ended with a deadly crash involving pedestrians Wednesday night in Oakland, police said.
The chase of what the CHP said was a stolen vehicle occurred at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, ending on 12th Avenue, where the suspect vehicle, an Infiniti sedan, slammed into two pedestrians then struck a tree, police said.
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WATCH HEREOfficers arrived at the scene and found the two pedestrians, a man and woman, lying on the ground with severe injuries, police said. The man died at the scene, and the woman was taken to a hospital, where she was in stable condition. Both victims, Oakland residents in their 40s, were on the sidewalk when they were struck.
Sarah Polk said she watched it all happen right outside her window. Moments after the crash, the surviving victim could be seen on surveillance video walking up Polk's stairs and asking for help.
Authorities didn't immediately identify the victims, but friends told NBC Bay Area the man killed was Marvin Boomer, an employee at Castlemont High School.
"He saved her life before he died because he told her to run up my steps as fast as she could," Polk said.
Meghan Schofield and another neighbor, who is an emergency room doctor, rushed to help but said it was too late.
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"These folks are just out on an evening stroll," Schofield said. "All of us do that in our regular, everyday lives. We walk our streets daily. It could have been any one of us."
A memorial has since been created at the site of the crash.
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SIGN UP The driver was arrested at the scene, police said.
Before the crash into the tree, CHP officers were chasing the vehicle on Park Street, where the driver struck a minivan and continued onto 21st Street, where the vehicle sheared a fire hydrant then hit the pedestrians and tree, police said.
Alcohol or drugs do not appear to be factors in the crash, police said.
The deadly crash comes days after the Oakland Police Commission announced it is considering a change to OPD's pursuit policy.
Oakland police say they were not involved in the deadly pursuit Wednesday night.
The CHP has been working in Oakland since March 2024, saturating high-crime areas and specifically targeting vehicle theft, sideshows and organized retail crime.
But the CHP is not bound by the Oakland's police pursuit policy, which currently states officers can only initiate if the suspect is accused of a violent crime and then are limited to 50 mph without additional authorization.
The police commission is considering a reversal of that policy.
Gov. Gavin Newsom says if the policy is not changed, he may pull the CHP from Oakland streets, according to the governor’s office.
The CHP is investigating the stolen vehicle from Wednesday night's chase and crash while Oakland police are investigating the pedestrian's death.
Anyone with information should contact the OPD Traffic Section at 510-777-8570. Anyone with videos or photos that could assist with the investigation is asked to send them to cidvideos@oaklandca.gov.
