Matthew B. Stannard, Chronicle Staff Writer
San Francisco Chronicle
Copyright 2006 The Chronicle Publishing Co.
All Rights Reserved
A fugitive sought in connection with a 2005 slaying in Vallejo was shot and killed in Oakland on Wednesday evening by investigators whom he had been evading for months.
Kim Saelio, 22, had been the subject of a six-month manhunt by police in Oakland and Vallejo and the state Department of Justice and Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement. He was wanted on a murder warrant for the Nov. 11 killing of Curtis Mack Allen, 35, in Vallejo.
Police have alleged that Saelio was working as a pimp and had crafted a plot to use a prostitute in a scheme to rob Allen.
A May episode of “America’s Most Wanted” featured the Saelio case. In the program, police said Saelio sent a woman to Allen’s home on Nov. 10 with the plan that she would wait for Allen to fall asleep and then rob him.
Instead, according to the program, Saelio and an accomplice, Mark Sanders, 33, of Oakland grew impatient and broke into the residence, sparking a confrontation during which Sanders allegedly shot Allen.
Vallejo police say they received a 911 call from a person struggling for breath and responded to a home on Vallejo’s Foothill Drive, where they found a trail of blood leading to Allen, who died at the scene.
On Nov. 14, police arrested Sanders, Amanda Lynn Taylor, 18, and Carla Rose Huitt in connection with the attack. But Saelio -- also known as “Tim Tim” and “Mr. T” -- eluded capture. Police reportedly tracked him to San Leandro in March, but he fled on foot, then to Dublin in May, but he escaped capture in a stolen U.S. marshal’s van. According to “America’s Most Wanted,” the van had been left unattended in a parking lot.
The van was later recovered in Oakland, said Oakland police spokesman Officer Roland Holmgren.
On Wednesday, police tracked Saelio to Oakland, Holmgren said, and officers from Vallejo, Oakland’s special operations group, and the state Department of Justice and Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement tracked him to the 1300 block of East 33rd Street.
At about 7:10 p.m., Holmgren said, investigators tried to arrest Saelio, who tried to flee in a vehicle possibly belonging to a friend or family member. A brief chase ensued, Holmgren said, and Saelio struck an Oakland police car.
At some point, he said, an Oakland officer and a state Department of Justice agent fired on Saelio.
“Each fired one shot, striking the suspect,” he said. “The suspect was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.”
A person believed to be an associate of Saelio’s was taken into custody for questioning, Holmgren said. Police are investigating whether Saelio -- whom they considered armed and dangerous -- was armed at the time of the shooting or had fired on officers.
No officers were injured, Holmgren said.