Vehicle carjacked in Oakland
An alleged carjacking in Oakland ended with a police chase into Piedmont and a crash into a gate on El Cerrito avenue.
Piedmont’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system detected the vehicle entering Piedmont on the morning of Jan. 19 at Oakland and Olive avenues, according to Piedmont Police Capt. Chris Monahan. He said the vehicle was reported carjacked using a rifle out of Oakland earlier in the day.
Monahan said Piedmont police units responded to the area and reported the vehicle being chased by Oakland Police.
A Piedmont resident reported seeing a white sedan pursued by 11 police vehicles at around 4 a.m. Other residents reported on social media hearing the pursuit through town.
Monahan said the pursuit ended when the stolen vehicle crashed into the gate on El Cerrito Avenue. An adult female and the driver, identified as Carleton Ferguson, was taken into custody and the rifle was recovered, according to Monahan. He said the gate sustained minor damage. The suspect was taken to a hospital.
At 6:02 a.m. on Jan. 11, an ALPR hit was recorded on a gray 2007 BMW in the area of Oakland and Olive avenues, which had been reported stolen from Oakland. Piedmont Police found the vehicle parked on Grand Avenue with a single occupant, according to Monahan. The occupant was detained. A VIN check matched it to the report of a stolen vehicle. A records check of the occupant found he was on parole with an ankle monitor, according to Monahan.
The suspect was arrested and taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.
On Jan. 16, an ALPR hit came in on a black 2018 Ford Taurus at 11:41 a.m. The vehicle had been reported stolen by a rental car company at the Sonoma Airport in Santa Rosa.
The vehicle was found parked on Grand Avenue. The driver was detained and the rental car company reported that the vehicle was due back on Dec. 12, according to Monahan. He said the company said it wanted to pursue charges. The driver was taken to Santa Rita Jail and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle.