Slow-speed pursuit through San Pablo, Richmond ends in arrest

A more than hour-long slow-speed pursuit through San Pablo and Richmond ended late Tuesday with the arrest of a 46-year-old transient man after he allegedly rammed a patrol vehicle and claimed to be armed, authorities said.

Officers with the San Pablo Police Department responded around 9:30 p.m. to the 1900 block of 20th Street on a report of a suspicious vehicle, according to Police Support Services Manager Peggy Chou.

“Officers contacted the driver of the vehicle, who was uncooperative and refused to follow officers’ instructions to exit his vehicle,” Chou said. “The suspect then drove away from officers at a slow speed.”

Police said officers deployed spike strips, flattening the vehicle’s tires, but the driver continued on and at one point contacted dispatch to report that he was armed with a firearm. The pursuit lasted more than an hour as the vehicle traveled slowly through San Pablo and into Richmond, with assistance from additional law enforcement agencies.

Residents reported seeing the slow-moving chase along Barrett Avenue, 23rd Street, and San Pablo Avenue as multiple patrol vehicles followed behind with emergency lights activated.

Authorities said officers deployed additional spike strips and ultimately used a pursuit intervention technique in the 13000 block of San Pablo Avenue to immobilize the vehicle. The suspect then accelerated toward a marked patrol car and collided with it, rendering his own vehicle inoperable, police said.

After several minutes of negotiation, officers took the man into custody without further incident. “No firearms were located within the suspect’s vehicle, and no injuries were reported as a result of this incident,” Chou said.

The man was transported to a local hospital as a precaution and later booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, evasion, possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest, and reckless driving.

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