A police pursuit began early Sunday, September 15, 2019 when it is alleged Eric Van Gelder of Geyserville, Calif. failed to stop, drove past a closed road break, nearly hit a California Highway Patrol officer and led them on a chase exceeding 100 mph. A long standoff took place after a spike strip disabled Van Gelder's vehicle. A SWAT team later removed him from the car using "non-lethal methods."
Motorists fatally struck pedestrians in two separate collisions in Contra Costa County over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, according to the California Highway Patrol.
On Saturday, CHP officers received a report around 9:55 p.m. of a vehicle collision with a pedestrian at the intersection of Seaview Drive and Shore Road in Bay Point.
According to investigators, an Audi sedan was speeding along Seaview Drive and struck the pedestrian, who was standing in the road with fireworks.
The collision threw the victim, identified by the Contra Costa County coroner’s office as 36-year-old Antioch resident Raymond McDaniel, into a parked vehicle on Seaview Drive, CHP officials said.
McDaniel was pronounced dead at the scene while the driver of the Audi fled. The driver, whose name hasn’t been released, was later found and arrested in Pittsburg for suspected driving under the influence of alcohol and gross vehicular manslaughter.
Around 12:20 a.m. Sunday, CHP officers responded to another report of a pedestrian fatally struck, this time on westbound Interstate Highway 80.
Investigators found that the driver of a Dodge Ram truck collided with a Buick sedan that had come to a stop in the far left westbound lane of the highway just east of Willow Avenue. The driver of the Buick, identified by the coroner 40-year-old Oakland resident Jamela Kinard, was out of the vehicle and standing in the roadway when she was fatally struck.
The driver of the Dodge Ram was taken to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek to be treated for moderate injuries. Investigators are still working to determine why Kinard stopped in the roadway and whether alcohol or drugs were contributing factors.
People with information on either collision are encouraged to contact the Contra Costa-area CHP office at (925) 646-4980.
Last modified July 6, 2020 12:46 pm
This website uses cookies.