Piedmont’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system recorded a hit on a 1997 Acura CL on Thursday that picked up a passenger attempting to steal a catalytic converter. The vehicle later crashed and the suspects fled.
The alert came at 5:27 a.m. on April 28 at Grand and Wildwood avenues. According to Piedmont Police Capt. Chris Monahan, the passenger was attempting to steal a catalytic converter from a Prius. The driver fled in the vehicle and the passenger fled on foot. Officers chased the passenger until he jumped back into the car at Grand and Greenbank avenues. The vehicle fled north on Grand with no lights on.
The vehicle eventually hit the center median and crashed at Grand and Rose Avenue.
Officers responded and found the vehicle empty. The car was towed.
Stolen car
A 2020 Mercedes Benz GLS-450 was stolen from in front of a residence on Sandringham Road. The theft was reported at 7:02 a.m. on April 29. The owner said he believed he had left a key in the vehicle.
The car was tracked to Independent Road by the Coliseum in Oakland. Oakland police found and recovered the vehicle.
DUI arrests
A woman was arrested for DUI on April 23 after being observed speeding on Grand Avenue. At about 2:58 a.m., a Piedmont police officer saw a 2020 Jeep 4-door Gladiator driving at an estimated 45-50 miles per hour. The female driver was pulled over, given field sobriety tests, and then taken in for a PAS test and measured 0.179 BAC. The driver was taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.
Another suspected DUI took place on Moraga and Mesa avenues on April 27. A single-vehicle crash was reported at 12:21 a.m. The report said the woman driving was suspected to be drunk, according to Monahan. A silver 2013 Buick SUV was found to have hit the curb damaging the front wheel with a blown tire. Police arrived to find the vehicle in the middle of the roadway.
The driver told the officer she had consumed three-four alcoholic beverages. Field sobriety tests were administered and the driver was taken to Santa Rita.
Encampment fire at Lake Merritt visible from Piedmont hills
A homeless encampment located under Lake Merritt Boulevard at the foot of the lake went up in flames on April 28. A San Francisco Chronicle article said no one was hurt, but one person was displaced.