Pair in custody after Caldecott crash

Two suspects were taken into custody after leading authorities on a pursuit on state Highway 24 and then colliding with two other motorists just west of the Caldecott Tunnel in Oakland Monday afternoon, a Contra Costa County sheriff’s spokesman said.

At about 1:40 p.m., a Lafayette police officer tried to stop a Nissan for a traffic violation as it headed onto westbound Highway 24 from the Central Lafayette on-ramp, sheriff’s spokesman Jimmy Lee said.

The driver of the Nissan, which was reported stolen, refused to yield and a pursuit ensued on the highway, with Orinda police also responding to assist, Lee said. The pursuit was terminated by authorities near the Wilder Road off-ramp because of the speed and recklessness of the Nissan driver, who continued west into the Caldecott Tunnel, Lee said.

Shortly afterward, California Highway Patrol officers notified the sheriff’s office that the Nissan was involved in a crash on the west side of the tunnel in Oakland, according to Lee. The Nissan collided with two motorists who both suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital.

The Nissan also struck a light pole, injuring the driver and a passenger in the car, Lee said. CHP spokesman Officer Sean Wilkenfeld said witnesses reported that the two suspects fled from the car. Lee said both were eventually taken into custody and also hospitalized with minor injuries.

The names of the suspects are not yet being released and Lafayette police are investigating whether they were also involved in an earlier shoplifting incident at a supermarket, Lee said.