One dead and five injured in police chase in Vallejo

VALLEJO – A car crash early Saturday morning left one person fleeing Vallejo police dead and five others, including two bystanders, injured.

The pursuit began when Vallejo police officers attempted to stop a dark gray Mercedes near Sonoma Boulevard and Lemon Street shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, according to a Police press release.

When the Mercedes failed to stop, an officer pursued the vehicle north on Sonoma Boulevard and reported the vehicle traveling at 75 miles per hour. According to dispatch, it collided with a blue Subaru at the intersection of Sonoma and Tennessee.

Marissa Serafino said she saw the accident as she was walking along Sonoma Boulevard near the intersection when the collision happened.

“I saw the Mercedes speeding down Sonoma with no headlights on, with police right behind. Then I heard the crash and saw the Mercedes skid and hit the pole with full force,” Serafino said. “The Subaru was on fire and I could see a person getting out of the vehicle.”

Another witness testified that an officer attempted CPR on the driver of the Mercedes, but that it was apparently ineffective.

Police said officers and the Vallejo Fire Department rendered medical aid to the occupants of both vehicles, but one person in the Mercedes was pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency vehicles transported the two occupants of the Subaru and three other occupants of the Mercedes to local hospitals, the dispatch center said.

According to police audio, officers found four firearms in the Mercedes, and a witness said one of the occupants was wearing a ski mask.

Later that day, police arrested a murder suspect during a second chase. According to police, a driver on Curtola Parkway failed to stop him for a traffic violation.

The pursuit ended near Cherry and Grant Streets when the driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the gate of a residence. Officers identified the driver as Corey Warren, who had an outstanding warrant for his arrest as a suspect in a fatal shooting on Oct. 5 on Fairgrounds Drive at Valle Vista Avenue.

The latest fatal accident occurred while Vallejo Police try to reduce the number of accidents in connection with police prosecutions following a internal report noted that the number of car chases has increased dramatically since 2020. Last year, two bystanders were killed in car chases involving Vallejo police.

Deaths and serious injuries associated with police chases have raised concerns among Vallejo community members about the safety of drivers and pedestrians during high-speed chases.

Hudson Joseph Stanley was killed after a driver fleeing police at speeds over 90 miles per hour rammed his pickup truck, causing it to overturn on Springs Road in August 2023.

One and a half months later 76-year-old succumbed to his injuries after being crushed between two vehicles when a vehicle involved in a chase collided with two parked cars on Carolina Street.

The Vallejo police report recommends that supervisors consider factors that are more likely to result in an accident when deciding whether to continue a pursuit, such as incidents that occur at night, on weekends and when the driver is speeding or driving erratically.

A recent San Francisco Chronicle investigation found that police chases have increased nationwide since 2020. From 2017 to 2022, at least 3,336 people were killed in police vehicle chases, including at least 1,377 people in 2020 and 2021. At least 551 of the fatalities, or 27%, were bystanders, the Chronicle said.

In September 2023, the Police Executive Research Forum and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services will published a report on persecutions that the recommended agencies are advised to adopt a more restrictive policy.

According to the report, a study of 56 agencies between 2001 and 2007 found that 23.5 percent of chases resulted in negative consequences, such as accidents involving personal injury or property damage, and 9 percent of chases resulted in injury to an officer, bystander or suspect.

“These data suggest that a chase is not always worth the risks, especially when it is not necessary to apprehend a suspect,” the report said. “For example, rather than taking the risks of a chase, an officer could capture the vehicle’s license plates to later apprehend the suspect.”

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