Photo: Stock Image
PINOLE— A carjacking suspect was caught following a chase through Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Franklin M. Gyurnek, 34, of Shelbyville, TN, was also recently arrested but released from custody in San Bernadino County.
The carjacking incident happened January 6 at the Pinole Vista Shopping Center. Pinole police found a man lying on the ground near the Best Buy store. The victim told officers that his car was stolen from a nearby Motel 6 parking lot. The victim was dragged across the street before the suspect fled.
Surveillance video show the suspect fleeing southbound on Appian Way. Witnesses called 911 and gave a description of the suspect to police. Pinole police notified nearby agencies to be on the lookout for the carjacker.
Gyurnek fled through the streets of Pinole, El Sobrante, Richmond, El Cerrito and Albany, before he was apprehended in Berkeley. He was arrested by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, with help from San Pablo and Berkeley police.
A sheriff’s deputy first spotted the stolen vehicle traveling on San Pablo Dam Road. The suspect evaded a traffic stop near Milton Road. The suspect sped away through red lights and at times on the wrong side of the road all the way to Berkeley. He finally stopped without further incident near the intersection of San Pablo and University avenues.
Gyurnek was arrested at 8:53 p.m. He is being held in lieu of $150,000 bond at the West County Detention Facility in Richmond. He faces charges for carjacking, assault with a deadly weapon, evasion of an officer, and wanton disregard for safety. Last month, Gyurnek was arrested for DUI alcohol/drugs and battery on an officer in San Bernadino County.
