At 2:18 a.m. on Oct. 26 on St. James Place the city’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system reported a hit on a 2022 Toyota Prius. Piedmont Police spotted the vehicle on St. James at 2:22 a.m. and attempted to make a stop, according to Piedmont Police Department Captain Chris Monahan. The officer drew his gun, according to the police log, but the driver fled. Police did not pursue.
Toyota Telematics, the car’s internal data system, reported at 2:26 a.m. the vehicle had crashed on St. James. Officers found the vehicle flipped on its side with no sign of the driver. The Prius had hit three parked cars belonging to a homeowner, with each sustaining minor damage, according to Captain Monahan.
There were no reported injuries and a search of the area did not turn up the suspect.
A stolen vehicle was recovered on Oct. 24 at El Centro and Hanly roads in Oakland. Piedmont’s ALPR picked up the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado pickup at 12:42 a.m. at Estates and Somerset Drives. The vehicle had been reported stolen out of Oakland.
The vehicle was spotted on Park and later found abandoned at El Centro and Hanly. There was no sign of the suspect, the vehicle was towed and the registered owner was notified.
On Oct. 23, a stolen white 2014 BMW 435 activated the city’s ALPR system at 8:05 p.m. Police saw the vehicle driving from Sandringham Road toward Park Blvd., accompanied by a second vehicle according to Captain Monahan. Police attempted to stop the cars but both vehicles fled. According to Captain Monahan, the drivers drove at patrol vehicles “recklessly.” The second vehicle was identified as a red Ford Escape SUV. Upon contacting the registered owner, it was determined that it had just been stolen. The suspects are still at large.
Two vehicles were stolen in Piedmont on Oct. 22-23. The former incident was reported at 12:41 p.m. as having occurred sometime overnight, according to the police log. The vehicle is a black Mazda Miata taken from Sunnyside Avenue.
The latter occurred at 2:49 a.m. on Oct. 23 on Estrella Avenue. The vehicle is an Infiniti G37. There is no information on suspects on either event.
On Oct. 20, two suspects took $2,200 worth of power tools from the truck bed of a gray Toyota Tacoma. The alleged crime occurred at 12:05 p.m. on Ronada Avenue. The city’s FLOCK camera at Ronada and Ramona Avenues captured the suspect vehicle at the scene of the crime at 12:05, according to Captain Monahan. The suspects are described as two Hispanic males and the vehicle is a silver Infiniti G37.