Tragedy in East Bay: Mother dies and 6-year-old twin children injured after police pursuit
A 31-year-old mother has passed away and her 6-year-old twin children have been seriously injured after a police pursuit that resulted in an accident on Thursday night. One of the children was in critical condition, according to authorities.
The crash happened in the town of Rodeo, in Contra Costa County, not far from Hercules. The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Ralph Ellsworth White III, from Vallejo, fled the scene but was arrested shortly after in a nearby liquor store, according to the police.
The police pursuit began after Hercules police spotted a suspect driving a stolen white Mazda SUV around 7:20 p.m. During the pursuit, they lost sight of the vehicle until they arrived at the scene of the accident. The suspect collided with a grey Nissan.
"When our officers attempted to follow the [suspect's] vehicle, the vehicle immediately sped up," said Hercules Police Chief Joseph Vasquez. "The officers initiated a pursuit, which lasted less than 30 seconds, before the vehicle finally and unfortunately crashed into an uninvolved vehicle."
The driver of the Nissan died at the scene, and one of her 6-year-old twin children was airlifted to Oakland Children's Hospital in critical condition, according to authorities. The victims were not immediately identified.
"She was a loving mother, played sports, was healthy, and took care of her children," said Tommie Lewis, a cousin of the victim. "This did not deserve to happen this way."
Rodeo resident Clayton Winfrey witnessed the incident and said such a severe accident is unusual in the small, peaceful neighborhood.
"The loss of life is just ridiculous," he said. "I don't know whose fault it is. I mean, when you have a high-speed pursuit, sometimes you let the situation go, so you don't have situations like this, but that's just my opinion."
Vasquez said they will re-evaluate their pursuit policies.
"I think in this situation everything was so fast and fluid," he said. "There really wasn't time to determine that the pursuit needed to be cancelled at that time."
White faces multiple charges, including vehicular manslaughter and leading a pursuit that causes death or serious injury. He is being held in Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez under a $375,000 bond.
The investigation is being handled by the Hercules police, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office, and the County Attorney's Office.
Originally posted at Abogados de Accidentes
