HERCULES, CALIFORNIA – A man allegedly threatening cars with a metal object on I-80 Thursday is dead after a police-involved shooting, the Richmond PD says.
According to Richmond police, a plainclothes detective driving to work in an unmarked vehicle encountered a man around 7:20 a.m. on westbound I-80 in Hercules near Highway 4.
Police said the man was standing next to a gold Nissan sedan that was blocking the far-left lane, and the detective stopped and activated emergency lights believing it was a stranded motorist situation.
Richmond police said the man was holding a metal object and may have been swinging it at passing vehicles before the detective arrived. During the encounter, an altercation occurred and the detective fired, striking the man, police said.
The man was taken to a trauma center, where he was pronounced dead. The detective was treated at a hospital for minor injuries, according to police.
There were apparently multiple reports to 911 before that of the man hitting vehicles with the object.
The shooting led to massive delays. CHP shut down all westbound lanes just after 7 a.m. near Pinole Valley Road for what it described as major police activity, diverting traffic at the Hercules exit as investigators worked the scene.
Authorities ultimately reopened the freeway around 5:00-5:10 p.m., but backups stretched for miles for much of the day. And there were ripple effects onto other roads throughout the East Bay, including many here in the 925.
Richmond police noted that Assembly Bill 1506 requires an independent state investigation when a law enforcement officer shoots and kills an unarmed civilian.
“Because it is currently unclear whether the individual had a weapon in his possession at the exact moment the shooting occurred, California law requires the California Department of Justice to assume the lead investigation. DOJ’s involvement does not imply wrongdoing and is mandated under these circumstances,” the Richmond police said.
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