6 days ago
Car crashes into Oakland pedestrians after CHP chase; 1 dead, 1 injured
A vehicle being chased in Oakland by the California Highway Patrol lost control and crashed into two pedestrians Wednesday night, killing one and injuring the other.
The Oakland Police Department said the collision happened just before 7:45 p.m. in the area of 12th Avenue and East 21st Street in the city's Clinton neighborhood. Police said the CHP notified the department about a pursuit on city streets, which was ended shortly after.
According to police, the vehicle continued to drive recklessly and lost control, hitting a man and a woman walking on the sidewalk. Video from a home surveillance camera showed the car skidding through the intersection, slamming into a hydrant, a tree, and then the two pedestrians, who had no time to get out of the way.
The driver ran away from the crash scene but was eventually arrested by CHP officers.
First responders at the scene of a fatal crash of a vehicle into pedestrians near the corner of 12th Avenue and East 21st Street in Oakland, May 29, 2025.
KPIX / Stringer
Police officers tended to the victims, both in their 40s, and medical personnel provided life-saving measures, but the man died at the scene. The woman was listed in stable condition, and witnesses later said she had been released from the hospital.
Residents say a couple was out for an evening walk together. The homeowner who captured the crash on his security camera said he installed it on his front porch just days ago.
James Polk said he is among the residents concerned about high-speed chases.
"I simply asked one [officer], 'Is this a high-speed chase?' They looked at me and said, 'Absolutely not, this was not a high-speed chase."
The deadly collision comes as the Police Department Oakland police chief calls for more authority to chase violent suspects. Currently, the policy requires officers to end a chase if speeds reach 50 miles per hour, unless a commander approves it.
Governor Gavin Newsom said in December that the current policy doesn't make sense.
"You can be drunk, you can run a red light, you can come close to sideswiping a school bus in the morning commute hours in front of cops, and Oakland's pursuit policy says the cops can't chase them," said Newsom at the time."
But critics of vehicle pursuits believe policy changes are headed in the wrong direction.
"It's not like one car stops and somebody jumps out and says, 'Oh, I give up, thanks for chasing me.' There's a crash one way or another. Is it into a building? Is it into other cars, or is it frequently is into people?"
Neither the deceased victim nor the suspect driver was identified. There was no immediate word from the CHP on why the suspect was being chased.
