San Leandro police say they spotted a stolen car on East 14 Street on Cristmas Eve, starting a car and foot chase that relied on a cell phone tipster and a police dog to help authorities make two arrests.
In custody and charged with car theft and resististing arrest are Donte Neal, 22, and Lewis Lovett, 21, both of Oakland.
San Leandro police say the incident began at 3:23 pm on the 300 block of East 14th Street, when an officer spotted a car that had been reported stolen.
The officer attempted to pull the car over but the driver sped into Oakland, police said.
The suspect vehicle subsequently collided with several parked cars on the 1900 block of 105th Avenue.
When it stopped, the driver and a front seat passenger fled on foot in different directions. The driver was seen running south into a backyard on 105th Avenue and the passenger was spotted running north on Birch Street.
Oakland Police Department responded to assist as did a K-9 Unit from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department.
A perimeter was set up around the area and the K-9 unit began searching the location where the driver had last been seen.
While the dog was on the scent, San Leandro police received an anonymous tip, via the their Tip411 system, that a suspect was hiding in a trailer near 104th Avenue and Birch Street.
Oakland Police found and arrested a man in the trailer. Authorities have identified him as the passenger of the stolen car.
The K-9 unit found a man identified as the driver in a backyard between 105th and 106th Avenue.
San Leandro Police Department spokesman Rick DeCosta said the arrests were a result of training, teamwork and technology in the form of the anonymous tip program.
