Arrests made in shooting at CHP officers in Oakland

OAKLAND >> Two reputed Hayward gang members have been arrested on suspicion of shooting at two California Highway Patrol officers Tuesday morning in East Oakland, police said Wednesday.

The men, both in their 20s, were arrested Tuesday night at the Hayward home of one of the suspects. Police declined to release their names pending a review of the case by the District Attorney’s Office.

In a statement Wednesday, interim Oakland Police Chief Susan Manheimer said: “These officers and our community were put in great peril, and we appreciate the important information we received from our community which led to the arrest of these two extremely dangerous individuals. We are thankful that no one was injured and greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication of the men and women who risk their lives to keep our community safe.”

Chief Chris Costigan of the CHP’s Golden Gate Division said the agency was “pleased to hear” about the arrests. “We are extremely grateful for our professional relationships with the Oakland Police Department, the Hayward Police Department and all our law enforcement agency partners,” he said. “It is through teamwork and collaboration such as this that we are able to routinely solve crimes, apprehend criminals and keep our communities safe.”

Police said they recovered a semi-automatic pistol believed to have been used in the shooting.

The shooting happened at about 1:40 a.m. Tuesday after two uniformed CHP officers saw a Mercedes sedan speeding on eastbound Interstate 580, in excess of 100 mph at times. It later turned out the car had been stolen in Hayward on Sunday, but the officers did not know that at the time.

The officers pursued the

Mercedes-Benz off the freeway at 98th Avenue.

One of the occupants began shooting at the officers from the vehicle in the area of 98th Avenue and Lawlor Street. The officers and their vehicle were not hit by the gunfire, and the officers did not return fire.

The Mercedes crashed in the area of the 8500 block of Thermal Street, and the two men fled on foot from the vehicle.

The suspects were able to evade an ex tensive search by air and ground officers and were eventually able to make it back to Hayward.

Investigators developed evidence that led them to the home. With the assistance of Hayward police and its SWAT team, the suspects were arrested about 10:40 p.m. Tuesday. They were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and are being held without bail.