Man rescued after I-80 crash in Berkeley, fleeing into bay
The man "seemed intoxicated," witnesses said, and was "making suicidal statements."
A driver who struck a vehicle on I-80 in Berkeley and then jumped into the bay after making suicidal statements was rescued from the water and taken for a psychiatric evaluation Friday, authorities report.
The incident began just before 2 p.m., the California Highway Patrol said, when officers were called to the scene of a two-vehicle hit-and-run collision, with no reported injuries, on I-80 westbound near the Ashby Avenue off-ramp in Berkeley.
The driver fled from the scene of the crash onto Frontage Road, said Officer Karina Oseguera, a CHP Oakland spokeswoman.
The man "seemed intoxicated," witnesses said, and was "making suicidal statements."
He then went into the San Francisco Bay and began swimming into deeper water, Oseguera said.
Officers from Berkeley and Emeryville responded to assist the CHP.
The Alameda County Fire Department and the Coast Guard were also called to the scene and "were able to get the suspect onto their boat," Oseguera said.
The man was taken to Highland Hospital and was slated to be taken for a psychiatric evaluation after that, the CHP said.
His age and city of residence were not available as of publication time.
