Feb 23, 2021
Two cars crashed in Berkeley, and all the occupants ran in different directions. One alleged driver was just charged with gun possession
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BERKELEY — Federal prosecutors have filed felony gun charges in connection to a bizarre chain of events the followed a Jan. 13 crash near the border of Berkeley and Albany, according to court records.
Raymond A. Rodriguez, 24, was charged this week with being a felon in possession of a firearm, court records show.
Jail records say he has been in Santa Rita Jail in Dublin since the night of the crash, when he was arrested after running from the scene of a two-car crash.As a matter of fact, authorities contend that not only Rodriguez, but everyone associated with both cars ran from the accident — at least three people in total. While he was running, “frantic,” from the scene, Rodriguez allegedly stopped to exchange a hug with a woman who turned out to be the registered owner of the car he was driving, who was also fleeing, authorities allege.
On top of that, the driver of the other car in the crash has never been located, according to the criminal complaint against Rodriguez.
According to the complaint, Rodriguez tossed a pistol while a Berkeley officer was chasing him on foot after the crash. A passer-by witnessed the alleged gun-tossing and helped officers locate the weapon.
Rodriguez was not allowed to have guns because of a 2016 conviction on an assault with a deadly weapon charge, for which he was sentenced to two years in state prison, the complaint says. Rodriguez’s first court appearance on the federal charge has not been set, but he’s been jailed for nearly eight weeks on a state parole revocation hold, court records show.
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Alex Lopez Charged In Deadly Crash At End Of Chase In Fairfax District That Killed Jeeves Tangonan
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A man is facing vehicular manslaughter, assault and DUI charges for allegedly ramming a sheriff’s car during a traffic stop and leading deputies on a pursuit that ended with a fiery crash in the Fairfax District that killed an innocent man who was on his way home from work.
Alex Lopez, 28, pleaded not guilty Thursday to one count each of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, assault on a peace officer and fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s vehicle and two counts of DUI causing injury, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
READ MORE: Riverside County Social Services Building In Lake Elsinore Damaged By Fire, Closed Until Further NoticeA short pursuit came to a fiery end Tuesday night near The Grove in the Fairfax District. (CBSLA)
On Thursday, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies were pursuing Lopez who had assaulted a deputy during a routine traffic stop.
Deputies chased the driver to the intersection of 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue, where at approximately 10:30 p.m., he crashed into another car, the impact of which sent the second vehicle slamming into the side of a Citibank branch.
Los Angeles Fire Department crews attempted to pull the innocent driver, identified as 37-year-old Jeeves Tangonan, from his vehicle following the crash, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Family members said he was a chef at a West Hollywood hotel and was driving home from work when he was killed.
“He treated my sister perfect, he was the perfect husband, the perfect son, the perfect brother-in-law to me,” his brother-in-law Marlon Chavez told CBSLA Wednesday.
Jeeves Tangonan (left), a chef at a West Hollywood hotel, was driving home from work when he was struck and killed by a pursuit suspect on March 2, 2021. (Family photo)
Deputies had initially attempted to pull Lopez over for a traffic stop, after suspecting he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. However, a pursuit ensued when the suspect allegedly assaulted a deputy.
READ MORE: LA County Sheriffs Department Holds Vaccine Clinic For Deputies, Employees At Pomona FairplexLopez, who was driving a gray Chevrolet Malibu, had been “lane straddling and driving without headlights on during time of darkness,” according to a sheriff’s department statement.
“The person stopped and the deputy got out of his vehicle, made contact with the driver,” Villanueva said. “Then the driver struck the (deputy’s) vehicle and drove away and fled the scene. That’s where the pursuit initiated. And sadly when the suspect fled … later on down the road there was a fatal traffic (collision).
“Our condolences to the victim’s family, my heart goes out to them, because this person appeared to be under the influence,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva said. “There was definitely impairment, so we’re going through our investigative process.”
The deputy who was involved in the initial traffic stop was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, as was the suspect, the sheriff’s department reported.
Lopez is jailed in lieu of $205,000 bail while awaiting his next court appearance on April 29.
Tangonan was a chef at a West Hollywood hotel and was returning home from work when the crash happened.
MORE NEWS: Affidavit: Tiger Woods Found Unconscious Immediately After Crash“I do want justice to be served for this man, to pay for what he did,” Chavez said. “I’ve never seen my sister and my family go through so much pain.”