By Ted Asregadoo, PIO, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office
Martinez, California – The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office is participating in the investigation into a fatal incident involving an on-duty Richmond Police officer.
The incident occurred this morning at approximately 7:15 am on westbound Interstate 80 near the Highway 4 junction in Hercules.
At 8:25 a.m., CHP – Golden Gate and CHP – Contra Costa announced on social media, “All Lanes Closed due to Police Activity… Fast lane of I-80EB is also closed. WB traffic is being diverted off at the Hercules exit. Use alt routes. Unknown ETO. As of 5:10 p.m. CHP – Contra Costa announced, “All lanes of westbound I-80 at SR-4 in Hercules have reopened.”
Because the incident took place on an interstate highway, the California Highway Patrol has primary jurisdiction over the investigation. The California Attorney General’s Office will lead the legal investigation based on the specific circumstances of the incident. The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office’s participation in the investigation is in accordance with the County’s Law Enforcement-Involved Fatal Incident protocol.
While Assembly Bill 1506 requires the California Department of Justice to investigate officer-involved shootings of unarmed civilians, this particular case does not explicitly fall under that mandate. However, the Attorney General’s Office has assumed the lead role due to the dynamics of the incident.
UPDATE: Both the Richmond Police Department and California Attorney General’s Office issued press releases about the incident. See details, here – Reckless driving, altercation ends in Richmond Police Officer-involved shooting on I-80 in Hercules | Contra Costa Herald
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
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