The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office has no comment about why a robbery at a fast food restaurant in Lafayette was considered appropriate for a high speed chase that ended in an injury accident in Orinda with the discovery of a young child in the suspect vehicle.
At about 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28, Lafayette police officers responded to a report of a robbery at a fast-food restaurant on the 3500 block of Mt. Diablo Boulevard in Lafayette, according to Jimmy Lee, Public Information Officer of the Contra Costa Sheriff's Office. That restaurant, which is the only one on that block, has been identified in social media as Taco Bell.
According to Lee, officers identified the suspect vehicle and determined it was involved in armed robberies in Solano and Marin Counties earlier. About 12 minutes after the robbery was reported, a Lafayette officer located the suspect vehicle traveling westbound on Highway 24. The vehicle accelerated at a high rate of speed, leading the officer on a pursuit that went west on Camino Pablo toward El Sobrante.
On Camino Pablo in Orinda the suspect vehicle collided with another car traveling in the opposing lane. Police arrested two suspects, 24-year-old Black male, Jajuan Ojeda of Oakland and 39-year-old Black female, Aevra Traylor of Sacramento. They also discovered a 7-year-old boy in the suspect vehicle who was identified as the child of the driver. Ojeda and Traylor were booked into the Martinez Detention Facility and are facing charges that include robbery, felony evasion, and child endangerment. Both also had multiple warrants for their arrest.
The driver of the vehicle who was struck on San Pablo Dam Road was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
When asked why this incident was deemed suitable for a high speed chase, or if the officers involved knew about the child in the car, the Sheriff's Office offered no comment. No information is available about whether the child was returned to his family or taken into care. The investigation is ongoing. Both suspects remain in custody at the time of publication.
At about 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28, Lafayette police officers responded to a report of a robbery at a fast-food restaurant on the 3500 block of Mt. Diablo Boulevard in Lafayette, according to Jimmy Lee, Public Information Officer of the Contra Costa Sheriff's Office. That restaurant, which is the only one on that block, has been identified in social media as Taco Bell.
According to Lee, officers identified the suspect vehicle and determined it was involved in armed robberies in Solano and Marin Counties earlier. About 12 minutes after the robbery was reported, a Lafayette officer located the suspect vehicle traveling westbound on Highway 24. The vehicle accelerated at a high rate of speed, leading the officer on a pursuit that went west on Camino Pablo toward El Sobrante.
On Camino Pablo in Orinda the suspect vehicle collided with another car traveling in the opposing lane. Police arrested two suspects, 24-year-old Black male, Jajuan Ojeda of Oakland and 39-year-old Black female, Aevra Traylor of Sacramento. They also discovered a 7-year-old boy in the suspect vehicle who was identified as the child of the driver. Ojeda and Traylor were booked into the Martinez Detention Facility and are facing charges that include robbery, felony evasion, and child endangerment. Both also had multiple warrants for their arrest.
The driver of the vehicle who was struck on San Pablo Dam Road was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
When asked why this incident was deemed suitable for a high speed chase, or if the officers involved knew about the child in the car, the Sheriff's Office offered no comment. No information is available about whether the child was returned to his family or taken into care. The investigation is ongoing. Both suspects remain in custody at the time of publication.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA