Witness says OPD officer crashed his truck in Oakland, he says otherwise
Another Oakland police officer is on administrative leave after witnesses say they spotted him driving erratically before a crash, the Oakland Police Department confirmed to KTVU.
It all started around 5 p.m. on Aug. 3, when residents reported a truck blocking the road in the 1900 block of 69th Avenue, as first reported by the East Bay Times.
Witnesses told police they had seen someone driving the truck erratically, resulting in multiple collisions with objects near the road.
After several crashes, the Chevy came to a stop and witnesses said the driver climbed out and took off. Police arrived and found Officer Eduardo Arrizon's 2016 Chevy Silverado near a damaged stop sign.
Minutes later, Arrizon called to report that his Chevy had been stolen in an armed carjacking. His version of events differs from what the eyewitnesses told police.
He told police he was driving along 69th Avenue when he saw multiple men hanging out near a double-parked car.
Arrizon said he honked the horn, and one of the men pointed a gun at him and told him to "run it." He told police he gave up without a fight, in fear for his life.
However, investigators have been unable to verify what Arrizon said about the crash. No eyewitnesses reported seeing a group of men in the street at that time.
An eyewitness at the scene told police that they had seen the driver. When the eyewitness saw a photo of Arrizon, they told police it looked like the driver behind the wheel.
OPD didn't respond to Arrizon's 911 call for several hours, and when they did, they couldn't find him. Arrizon came to speak with authorities again the next morning, when he said he ran home after the carjacking and then dialed 911.
This isn't the first time Arrizon has faced accusations of reckless driving. In 2018, he was charged for driving above 100 mph while he was drunk. He was charged with a felony by Alameda County prosecutors, who said his blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit.
Arrizon is also connected to OPD officer Samson Liu, who recently made headlines after a large illegal marijuana growing operation was found inside a house he owns in Antioch. The two officers were members of the 171st Basic Recruit Academy, the East Bay Times reported.
No charges were filed against Liu in the grow-house case, as prosecutors didn't feel they had enough evidence to get a conviction. The house is now up for sale, according to a post on Zillow.
This story was first reported by the East Bay Times.