– A 19-year old driver has passed away after crashing in the course of a high-speed police chase. The driver was ejected from his Honda after California Highway Patrol pursued him for erratic driving around Interstate 880. At the initial traffic stop, officials spotted empty liquor bottles in the car and smelled alcohol on the driver’s breath. The driver was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the incident and died shortly after ejection.
– Another CHP chase finally came to a conclusion in the Tracy area after an hour-long pursuit of two homicide suspects. The driver and passenger were merely driving a car owned by a suspect and police have not revealed whether they had any information about the slayings. Up to ten CHP officers were involved at one time and the vehicle was finally stopped by spike strips in Tracy. The suspects and law enforcement reached speeds topping 70mph.
– California Highway Patrol arrested a woman who phoned 911 emergency responders over 2,000 times in one month. The offender called 911 2,100 times in the month of June and dispatchers knew her by name. Many of the conversations were jibberish or about nothing in particular. Dispatchers finally elicited the help of law enforcement after they feared her incessant calling, which sometimes topped 135 times per day, was tying up phone lines and possibly precluding those with real emergencies from accessing services.
– An accident on Wednesday resulted in the tragic death of a young child. The four-year old was walking alongside the road with family members when the victim was hit by a Saturn SUV driving by a 39-year old male. The child was pronounced dead shortly thereafter despite valiant efforts by witnesses and emergency responders to revive him. CHP is investigating the accident and has stated that alcohol was not a factor.
– CHP has announced its plans to increase surveillance and security on the Bay Bridge beginning Friday. Research indicates that motorists are exceeding speed limits on the bridge in unprecedented numbers and the S-curve presents a real threat to drivers’ safety. CHP reasons that if the threat of losing control on the bridge is not enough to thwart speeding, perhaps a hefty citation will do the trick.
