Fleeing Suspect Fatally Shot By Oakland Police Identified
OAKLAND (BCN) - A man who was fatally shot by police following a chase and crash in East Oakland on Wednesday afternoon has been identified as 19-year-old Martin Flenaugh, a police spokeswoman said Thursday.
The incident began at 4:12 p.m. when officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 7600 block of Lockwood Street and saw a vehicle fleeing the area, Oakland police Officer Holly Joshi said.
The vehicle, a red Infiniti allegedly driven by Jereme Brown, 24, with Flenaugh as a passenger, was pursued by officers through city streets and on and off of Interstate Highway 880, police said.
After traveling onto Highway 880, exiting at 66th Avenue, and turning south onto San Leandro Street, the vehicle struck a car at the intersection of San Leandro Street and 85th Avenue, according to police.
The suspect vehicle eventually burst into flames, Joshi said.
Flenaugh, an Oakland resident, exited the car and allegedly confronted officers while armed with multiple firearms.
Flenaugh allegedly refused to comply with the officers' demands and was shot by an officer who thought his own life was in danger. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Joshi said.
Brown fled from the car and was apprehended by police shortly afterward.
No one was injured in the shooting on Lockwood Street, and the occupant of the green Oldsmobile that was struck by the suspect vehicle suffered only minor injuries, police said.
The entire incident from the initial shooting on Lockwood Street to the fatal shooting of Flenaugh only lasted a little more than 10 minutes, according to Joshi.
Police Capt. Ersie Joyner said Wednesday evening that the Police Department's response to the shooting and chase was hampered by problems with their radio system, which he said was out of service during about half of the incident.
At one point officers didn't have any contact with dispatchers at police headquarters, Joyner said.
The problems with the radio system delayed medical assistance for Flenaugh, but it's not immediately clear whether a faster response would have been able to save his life, Joyner said.
He said police have had problems with their radio system in the past, and city officials are aware of those problems but haven't yet fixed them.
The officer who shot Flenaugh has been put on administrative leave, per standard procedure, while the Police Department and the Alameda County District Attorney's Office investigate the shooting.
Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact the Police Department's homicide section at (510) 238-3821.
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