Teen arrested in East Oakland crash that killed 3, injured others outside store
A 17-year-old driver was arrested in connection to a fatal East Oakland crash over the weekend that killed three people, injured five others and is believed to have been related to speeding, police said Monday.
In a press briefing, Oakland Police Chief James Beere said the driver, an Oakland resident, was seen driving recklessly at speeds in excess of 50 mph before he allegedly struck parked vehicles, went onto a sidewalk and hit a group of people outside a store near 85th Avenue and International Boulevard.
Beere said the driver tried to get away but passersbys restrained him, before he was arrested by police. He also said officials were not ruling out the possibility that the crash was intentional. Authorities did not identify the driver, due to his age.
Surveillance footage shared to social media depicts the moments before the driver plowed into the group of people standing outside a liquor store. The vehicle zooms onto the sidewalk in a moment's flash. In an interview with ABC7 news, a witness identified as "James" recounted the catastrophe, and identified one of the victims as James Robert Dixon Jr., known throughout the neighborhood as "OG Frog."
"(The driver) hit a car and once he hit that car he just mauled all my family down," said the witness, who described how close he came to being hit. "He never hit the brakes."
The Alameda County Coroner's bureau has not officially identified the three people killed in the crash. Chief Beere said of the three taken to the hospital and initially listed in critical condition, one remains in critical condition, one is in stable condition and one has since been released.
During the briefing Monday, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee praised the responding agencies and members of the community who stepped in to restrain the driver in the minutes after the deadly crash.
"I have to say that the courage displayed by those on scene shows a growing trust between our neighborhoods, City Hall and the Oakland Police Department," she said. "We're committed to working with OPD to ensure accountability and to support those impacted by this tragedy."
Investigators are seeking a search warrant to obtain blood and toxicology reports to assess whether or not the driver had alcohol or drugs in his system, authorities said. Police said they did not believe the vehicle was stolen and that the driver was the only person inside
Beere said the crash appeared to have occurred as a result of driver error, which could include speed, and cited reckless driving as an issue that concerned him personally as a resident of East Oakland.
OPD plans to soon submit the case to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. The teen could face charges of felony hit-and-run and felony vehicular manslaughter.
An average of two people are killed or seriously injured by traffic violence each week in Oakland, the Chronicle reported earlier this year. East Oakland appears to be uniquely impacted: the area that saw the highest number of speeders was at 73rd Avenue between Fresno and Krause avenues in East Oakland, just north of International Boulevard.
The Chronicle reported that the East Oakland streets where speeding commonly occurs are long and straight blocks, like International Boulevard, which the juvenile driver was allegedly driving down.
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.