Executive Summary
- A suspect fleeing Antioch Police was fatally struck on Highway 4 by a county vehicle.
- The vehicle was driven by a DA Senior Inspector on unrelated business.
- CHP is leading the investigation under the County Law Enforcement Involved Fatal Incident Protocol.
- The Contra Costa DA’s Office has recused itself to avoid conflicts of interest.
ANTIOCH, Calif. – A 27-year-old male suspect fleeing law enforcement was struck and killed Monday morning on Highway 4 by a vehicle driven by a Senior Inspector with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. The fatal collision occurred after the individual reportedly climbed a fence onto the freeway to evade responding officers.
According to the Antioch Police Department, the sequence of events began around 10:35 a.m. at a Comfort Inn located at 2436 Mahogany Way. Officers responded to reports that a man had activated a fire alarm and physically assaulted a 47-year-old security guard at the property.
As police arrived at the scene, the suspect reportedly fled on foot, scaling a fence to enter the eastbound lanes of Highway 4. Authorities confirmed that while in the roadway, the pedestrian was struck by an oncoming county vehicle. Officials stated that the vehicle was operated by a District Attorney Senior Inspector who was traveling for duties unrelated to the initial disturbance or the police pursuit.
The pedestrian was pronounced deceased at the scene. Due to the involvement of a county law enforcement employee, the County Law Enforcement Involved Fatal Incident Protocol was immediately initiated.
Procedural Transparency
The activation of the fatal incident protocol dictates that an outside agency must lead the inquiry to ensure impartiality. Consequently, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has assumed venue responsibility for the traffic collision investigation, and the California Department of Justice has been notified. The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office has formally yielded legal analysis to avoid any potential conflict of interest. It is important to note that regarding the initial allegations of assault, all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
