Robbery suspect killed in Oakland hills car collision

A second person who fled scene on foot being sought

A 23-yearold robbery suspect died Wednesday afternoon when the vehicle he was driving crashed into a tree in an Oakland hills neighborhood, authorities said.

A second suspect, a man, fled the scene on foot and was being sought, authorities said.

The man killed was identified Thursday by the coroner's office as John Paul Dine. Authorities said he had addresses in both Oakland and Antioch.

The fatal crash happened about 12:13 p.m. Wednesday in the 5900 block of Buena Vista Avenue, a residential neighborhood in the Upper

Rockridge area.

Authorities said the two men had tried to rob a resident in the area of his computer, which they grabbed from his vehicle. The victim confronted the suspects and was able to get the computer back from them before they started driving away from the scene, authorities said.

While the pair were fleeing, the car they were in crashed into a tree on the driver's side, ejecting the 23-year-old and causing fatal injuries, authorities said.

The second man fled before police arrived. A detailed description of him was not released.

Police said they recovered from the vehicle a purse that had been stolen from a 73-year-old woman less than a half hour earlier in a bank parking lot in the 300 block of 12th Street in downtown Oakland. The woman was sitting in her vehicle in the parking lot when two men broke a window and took the purse; they then drove off in the same vehicle that was involved in the Buena Vista Avenue attempted robbery.

Police said they believe the two men are suspects in other Oakland robberies and are reviewing those cases.

Police and Crime Stoppers

of Oakland are offering up to $5,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest of the man who fled the crash scene. Anyone with information may call police at 510-2383326 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572.