Newark man, 33, IDd as driver killed by Danville cop

A man shot dead Saturday by police in downtown Danville was identified as a 33year-old Newark resident, officials said Sunday.

Laudemer Arboleda, 33, was shot while behind the wheel of his car after a police chase through the quaint East Bay town.

The officer who fired the fatal shots was identified as Andrew Hall, a five-year veteran of the force.

Danville police, who contract with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, responded to a call about a suspicious person near Cottage Lane and Laurel Drive around 11 a.m., officials said.

A citizen told police that a person had exited his vehicle, walked toward several homes with bags in his hands, and then went back to his car and circled the neighborhood, said Jimmy Lee, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

When officers got to the scene, the man later identified as Arboleda “ignored commands to stop and led officers on a pursuit,” Lee said.

Arboleda pulled over twice as if he was going to surrender but fled when officers got out of their patrol vehicles, officials said.

At the intersection of Front Street and Diablo Road, Arboleda “steered his vehicle toward an officer and accelerated his vehicle,” Lee said.

Hall opened fire on the driver, striking him at least once.

“The officer was in immediate fear that he was going to be run over by the suspect's vehicle and fired his weapon at the driver of the vehicle,” Lee said.

Paramedics took Arboleda to San Ramon Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The incident was the first police shooting in Danville since August 2001, officials said.