This article was updated on May 1 with details about the Sunday crash
A pickup truck hit a van in central Piedmont on the afternoon of April 26. The pickup ended up knocking the van over the curb and onto the sidewalk and grass on Piedmont Park at Exedra Plaza, according to a witness. The van was parked but occupied at the time of the accident but no injuries were reported.
Nancy DeRoche told the Piedmont Exedra that she was walking her dog when the accident happened. She said she was talking to a friend on the phone when she heard the pickup truck approaching. “I looked over to see a white pickup truck speeding from the direction north and crash into parked cars,” she said. “The truck seemed to be totally out of control. “I was terrified.”
Emergency personnel responded to the scene. Piedmont Police Captain Chris Monahan said the Fire Department was called as a precaution.
“No injuries were reported,” Captain Monahan said. “Both vehicles were towed at their expense.”
DeRoche said, “The front of the pickup was smashed open and wedged into the side of the van.” She added that, “the van ended up on the grass and sidewalk, perpendicular to where it had been parked at the curb” and that the vehicle was “smoking.”
Photos by Julie Reichle
Traffic stop reveals loaded firearm; two convicted felons arrested
Two convicted felons were arrested after a traffic stop early in the morning of April 23 led to the discovery of a loaded firearm in the vehicle.
The incident happened a little after 1 a.m. in the area of Grand Avenue. According to a post on the Piedmont Police Department’s Facebook account, the vehicle was pulled over for multiple vehicle code violations, including expired registration.
The post said officers were preparing to have the vehicle towed when they found the firearm under the front passenger seat. As the police were investigating the vehicle, one of the suspects attempted to flee but was apprehended. According to the police log, a taser was deployed but did not hit the suspect. The log said the suspect said he couldn’t breathe and he was taken to Highland Hospital.
The post said the driver had a suspended driver’s license and both suspects were found to be convicted felons, prohibited from possessing firearms.
Both suspects were eventually taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. They were booked on multiple felony charges, including felons in possession of a firearm, possessing a concealed firearm, resisting or delaying officers and possession of a large capacity magazine.
The vehicle was towed.
On April 24, Piedmont Police conducted a traffic stop on a silver Subaru Forester at Grand and Arroyo avenues at 1:18 a.m. According to Piedmont Police Capt. Chris Monahan, the driver was asked to do a field sobriety test. The officers on the scene determined the driver was under the influence. The suspect was taken to Santa Rita Jail where a blood test was conducted. He was booked for DUI. The vehicle was towed.
On April 19, a call was received that two vehicles were speeding towards Highland Avenue after potentially being involved in an attempted break-in of a white sedan. The vehicles were identified as a red 2020 Hyundai Electra that had been reported stolen in Richmond and a gray 2014 Hyundai Sonata registered in El Sobrante, according to Monahan.
The white sedan showed no entry, nor any loss, according to Monahan.