A 19-year-old Pittsburg man was arrested after an hour long pursuit, which started in Concord and went through the cities of Martinez, Hercules, Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland, Orinda, Moraga, Lafayette, Walnut Creek & Pittsburg.
Lt. Steve Dyer with CPD says it all started just after midnight....
Shortly after midnight a patrol officer noticed a 1990 Toyota Camry driving on Detroit Avenue near Toyon Drive with a burned out headlight.
When the officer made a U-turn to catch up to the Toyota it accelerated to a speed greater than the posted speed limit.
The officer attempted to initiate an enforcement stop on the Toyota for the broken headlight and speeding, however the driver failed to pull over and a pursuit was initiated.
The driver of the Toyota led officers on a chase from Detroit Avenue to westbound Clayton Road and then onto northbound Market Street. Speeds on the surface streets varied between 40 and 80 miles per hour. The pursuit entered northbound Hwy 242 from Market Street and eventually onto westbound Highway 4.
While on the freeway speeds varied between 70 and 115 miles per hour. Three Concord police units pursued the Toyota from Highway 4 onto westbound I-80. The California Highway Patrol took over the pursuit in Berkeley near the Gilman exit, at which point the Concord officers terminated the pursuit and returned to Concord.
The California Highway Patrol continued the pursuit through the Oakland area and onto eastbound Highway 24. The pursuit continued on Highway 24 to northbound Highway 242 through Concord and onto eastbound Highway 4.
The Toyota exited eastbound Highway 4 at Railroad Avenue and continued on several surface streets in north Pittsburg before it eventually crashed into a parked car. The 19 year old driver and two female juvenile passengers were detained without further incident.
The Toyota was “cold plated” (license plates from a different vehicle) and it was discovered to be stolen out of Antioch.
The driver was arrested by CHP for being in possession of a stolen vehicle and felony evading arrest and transported to the Alameda County Jail. The female juveniles were detained for questioning and eventually released to their parents.
The portion of the pursuit the Concord units were involved in lasted 18 minutes and covered approximately 29 miles.
The driver of the stolen Toyota was identified as 19 year old Rodolpho Gutierrez out of Pittsburg.
This chase was amazing, and the Concord Police did a great job, as did other agencies to make sure no innocent person was hurt.
Thanks to Lt. Dyer for the information on the high-speed pursuit.