Crime & Safety

Update: Police Search For Man Who Fled Accident Scene

Police say the man has two felony warrants and that a loaded gun was found in the car he abandoned.

Updated 11:45 a.m. Friday

Police are searching for a man who crashed a car and ran away Thursday evening, leaving behind a loaded gun, police said.

Authorities announced Friday that they believe the man who crashed into another car then fled is 28-year-old Patrick Gregoire, who is wanted on two felony arrest warrants.

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Sgt. Mike Carroll said Friday morning that the warrants are for posession of stolen property and sales of methamphetamine.

Gregoire is described as a white male who is about 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds with brown hair and brown. He was last seen wearing dark-colored clothing and is believed to frequent Newark, Fremont and Castro Valley.

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The incident led authorities to evacuate a portion of the Lido Faire Shopping Center after someone said they saw the man jump onto the roof.

But despite a four-hour search by a K-9 and members the Newark-Union City SWAT teams, the man couldn't be found.

Sgt. Ray Hoppe said officers were unsure whether the man was armed when he fled but that police set up a perimeter in case. Officers found a .357 Magnum revolver and marijuana inside of the car that was abandoned.

"There's always that possibility... so we took the precaution just in case," Hoppe said.

Authorities said the search began after a man believed to be Gregoire crashed his white vehicle into a minivan at approximately 5:05 p.m. on Lido Boulevard.

Hoppe said shortly before the accident, an officer who was driving westbound on Cedar Boulevard saw the man speeding in a white vehicle eastbound on Cedar Boulevard. The officer then made a U-Turn to follow the car could not find it, Hoppe said.

As the officer was driving toward Mirabeau Drive, he saw the crash and stayed with the occupant of the minivan.

The driver of the other vehicle was taken to a local hospital after complaining of pain to his head and chest.

Police focused their Thursday night search for Β Gregoire on the roof of the shopping center where Madeira Liquors, Dollar Tree and Little Sichuan restaurant are.

Alejandro Vera was working at the Dollar Tree when officers entered the store to inform him that a possibly armed man was on the roof of the shopping center.

"It's dangerous and kind of scary," Vera said as he watched officers search the roof of the Dollar Tree. "It's not something I expected ...I thought this was a good area."

Any person with any information about Gregoire's whereabouts is asked to call Detective Sgt. Mike Carroll at 510-578-4247. Anonymous tips can be called into the Silent Witness Hotline at 510-578-4000, extension 500.

See a short video from the scene above.

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