On Saturday April 12, 2K14, at around 1pm, Officer Peterson of the Oakland Police Department drove through an intersection at San Pablo near 17th streets causing a vehicle collision that led to him driving his cruiser head on into a building.
According to witnesses the officer was driving at fast speeds with lights and sirens activated when the accident occurred.
What is unclear is whether a “code three” (lights and sirens) was an appropriate way to be driving through downtown Oakland at that moment in time.
At around 12:45pm there was a non fatal shooting on 16th and Linden in West Oakland as well as an alleged simulated robbery in the downtown area.
By just after 1pm the Linden Street shooting was under control and medical was on site, and officers on Broadway had detained an individual associated to the “simulated robbery” claim, and that they were “code 4” (which is short for things are ok).
If there was no need to be driving fast, this accident could very well have been avoided. Peterson was transported to the hospital bleeding from his head. Luckily no civilians were injured in this accident.
Note: according to witnesses, the “simulated robbery” was not a robbery but an verbal exchange that stemmed from a dispute where one individual asked for a cigarette from another.