Psychiatric patient captured after carjacking, freeway pursuit

A patient at a San Leandro psychiatric hospital escaped the facility Thursday evening, carjacked one car and tried to carjack another before leading deputies on a pursuit across Interstate Highway 580, according to Alameda County sheriff’s officials.

The incident occurred around 6:20 p.m. when the male patient somehow fled from John George Psychiatric Hospital at 2060 Fairmont Drive, Sgt. Ray Kelly said.

The man then went to the parking lot of the nearby Fairmont Hospital and got inside a car in which a teen boy was sitting in the passenger’s seat. The suspect struck the teen and tried to flee in the car, but quickly crashed it into a garbage truck just several hundred feet away, according to Kelly.

The suspect then got out of that car and attempted to carjack another car. The second vehicle had an elderly man inside.

The suspect allegedly bit the elderly man in an attempt to get the keys to the car. The suspect, however, was unable to get the keys and fled toward Highway 580.

When deputies followed him, the suspect then ran across the highway. A vehicle traveling on the highway then struck him, but the man got back on his feet and continued to flee and made it across all lanes of the highway.

Deputies were able to catch up with him after finding him hiding in bushes along the highway and took him into custody.

The suspect, whose identity has not been released, was arrested on suspicion of carjacking, attempted carjacking, kidnapping, assault and resisting arrest, Kelly said.

Both victims in the carjacking and attempted carjacking received treatment for their injuries. Additionally, the driver of the car that struck the suspect on Highway 580 was not injured and stopped at the scene.

According to Kelly, the suspect was initially at the hospital for a psychiatric hold and was not in custody prior to the incident.