Stolen vehicle collides with pole during Monday morning police chase on Camino Tassajara

DANVILLE – A driver of a stolen vehicle is in custody after a police pursuit that ended with a pole vs. vehicle collision on Camino Tassajara.

At around 9:03 am Monday morning, a Danville Police officer located a stolen vehicle traveling northbound on Crow Canyon Road near Camino Tassajara in the town of Danville.

The officer, along with another Sheriff’s deputy, attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle near the intersection of Camino Tassajara and Rassani Drive. The vehicle fled, leading police on a chase into the Tassajara region of Contra Costa County.

The vehicle continued on Camino Tassajara, reaching speeds of over 70 mph, until the driver lost control and struck a utility pole at the Contra Costa / Alameda County line.

Following the collision, the driver exited the vehicle and fled toward a hill just east of the scene before a Danville Police officer apprehended him.

According to Danville Public Information Officer Geoff Gillette, the driver is identified as Michael Whitecadena, 24, of Oakland. He was arrested for felony evading, felony probation violation, possession of stolen property, child endangerment and driving a stolen vehicle.

Gillette said Whitecadena sustained minor injuries in the crash and was briefly treated at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center prior to being booked into the Martinez Detention Facility.  A 17-year-old passenger in the vehicle was released into the custody of their family. 

PG&E crews were at the scene until early Monday afternoon working to fix the utility pole that fell as a result of the collision. The roadway was temporarily closed until 10:30 am while crews removed the pole and wires that obstructed both lanes of Camino Tassajara.

The vehicle had originally been reported stolen in the city of Walnut Creek.

Both directions of Camino Tassajara are closed at the county line due to wires and a pole in the roadway caused by a single vehicle accident. No ETA on reopening as of yet. pic.twitter.com/wPsFtsvkyy

— Town of Danville, CA (@DanvilleINFO) November 26, 2018