OAKLAND — Two men died Monday morning and injured a police officer after crashing into a marked Oakand patrol SUV while they drove a stolen vehicle in East Oakland, police said.
The crash happened about 11:10 a.m. on E. 12th Street in the area of 29th Avenue. It hospitalized the officer, who got there via transportation from another officer. The officer’s condition was not known early Monday afternoon.
Authorities did not release the identity of the two men who died, pending the investigation and notification of relatives.
According to police, preliminary information indicated the two men were in a Chevy Tahoe SUV that was speeding on E. 12th Street when it hit the marked Oakland police SUV. Police said they later discovered the car the two drove was a stolen vehicle.
Police said an Oakland Housing Authority police saw the vehicle driving erratically and tried initially to stop it. The vehicle sped away, and police said the officer did not pursue it.
The SUV then continued eastbound on E. 12th Street when it hit the marked patrol SUV, police said. They added that the injured officer had not been involved in the call.
Police said the SUV continued for about a quarter-block after the collision before going out of control and turning over. The two men inside were thrown from the vehicle. One of them ended up on the center median underneath elevated BART tracks. The other ended up on the pavement in front of the crashed SUV.
Both died at the scene.
Traffic investigators with Oakland police are investigating the crash. They blocked E. 12th Street in both directions from 25th to 30th Avenue during the investigation.
Please check back for updates.