Berkeley Police Pursue Stolen Car After Flock Hits, Driver Arrested

Road safety

The driver fled from police in the downtown Trader Joe’s parking lot, crashing into a patrol car and nearly colliding with another, BPD said.

Berkeley police arrested a driver after she fled from officers in a stolen car Wednesday, striking a patrol vehicle and narrowly missing several pedestrians, authorities report.

The incident began around 1:40 p.m. when Berkeley police received an alert from the city’s new flock camera system about a stolen red Audi in the city, BPD said.

Officers then saw the Audi pull into the parking lot of Trader Joe’s in downtown Berkeley at 1885 University Ave. (on Martin Luther King Jr. Way), authorities said.

But as officers pulled into the parking lot, the driver fled, crashing into a police vehicle and nearly colliding with another, BPD said.

Read more about crime in Berkeley.

The driver “then drove onto the sidewalk and almost hit several pedestrians,” police said.

The driver fled the scene and officers pursued her into Oakland, where she crashed into two vehicles at MacArthur Boulevard and Calaveras Avenue near Mills College.

Officers arrested the driver, a woman, and her passenger, a man, “without further incident.”

Berkeley approves flock license plate readers for police

Police said the license plate readers, or ALPRs, may not be installed until early next year due to “workflow issues” for BPD and Flock Safety.

BPD arrested the driver on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, hit-and-run and attempted assault with a deadly weapon (related to the Audi), police said.

The passenger was arrested in connection with a warrant “and other crimes,” BPD said.

Both were taken to the hospital for medical evaluation after the airbag deployed, so their ages and where they lived were not immediately known, police said.

Read more about traffic safety in Berkeley.

A Berkeley police officer suffered a leg injury in the incident, and a driver of a car struck in Oakland also reported pain, BPD said.

Both were taken to hospital for examination.

BPD said additional information may be available Thursday after police reports are complete.