SAN LEANDRO — Two men led police on a high-speed freeway chase and a foot chase across Interstate 580 on Wednesday March 3rd. Both suspects were arrested for burglary and they remain in custody facing further criminal investigation.
These men were apparently fleeing from angry witnesses who smashed the back window of their getaway car. This was happening downtown at Washington Plaza shopping center, when pedestrians flagged down patrol officers on April 3.
Officers commenced pursuing the suspects at 1:50 p.m. Incredibly, the suspects entered and exited from I-580 several times to evade the police. However, the chase ended abruptly, when the suspects crashed at a construction zone near the MacArthur Boulevard exit in Oakland.
The driver identified as Sergio Chavez-Silva, 23 and his passenger 30-year-old Byron Perez ran away. They fled across several lanes of freeway traffic while dodging motorists.
Chavez-Silva was hiding among bushes on the freeway off-ramp, when he was arrested. Besides burglary, his charges include conspiracy to commit a crime, resisting and evading an officer with disregard to safety. At the time of his arrest, Chavez-Silva was on probation for a prior conviction.
His companion, Perez was found walking near a Shell gas station on Seminary Drive and arrested there. Besides burglary, Perez faces charges for conspiracy, resisting, burglary tools and driving without a license. Perez also has five previous burglary arrests on his record.
Authorities suspect both these Oakland residents are responsible for additional unspecified crimes. “Detectives are continuing their investigation,” San Leandro police said in a prepared statement.
Meanwhile, San Leandro detectives have been contacting detectives at agencies throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Without elaborating, the statement said additional charges will be sought.
