PITTSBURG, CA – A married couple not only saw somebody steal their car Wednesday morning, they also watched in vain as the suspect collided with two other vehicles while trying to evade police, the California Highway Patrol said.
The suspect, 31-year-old Frank Mercado, of Antioch, led police on a chase that began in Pacheco and ended in Pittsburg when he crashed into a heavy-duty utility truck on Railroad Avenue, according to police. Mercado was uninjured in the accident, and was charged with grand theft auto, fleeing the scene of a traffic collision and evading law enforcement.
The incident began around 8:26 a.m. Wednesday morning near Pacheco Drive and Arthur Lane when the husband and wife saw a man drive away in their car, according to police. The couple followed the vehicle in another car while in contact with CHP dispatchers.
The couple pursued the car as it headed east on Highway 4. The suspect struck another car on the freeway, but didn’t stop, police said. The driver of the other car was uninjured.
Mercado then exited at Railroad Avenue, where the pursuit continued until the car slammed into the utility vehicle at the intersection of Railroad and Bliss Avenues.
Mercado, who remains in custody at the County Jail in Martinez in lieu of $90,000 bail, was arrested in February last year in Antioch on suspicion of grand theft auto and again in June for possession of a controlled substance.
