ByNate Gartrell
Bay Area News Group
OAKLAND — San Leandro’s top cop is now a criminal defendant.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s office has charged San Leandro police Chief Angela Averiett with a misdemeanor hit-and-run, stemming from when she allegedly sideswiped a Jeep containing a family while driving in the shoulder of Interstate 580, then continued on without stopping. Averiett has not yet entered a plea, court records show.
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The news station ABC7 reported that the alleged victims were coming home from a Giants game when Averiett crashed into their Jeep while driving past them in an unmarked police car, on the shoulder of the freeway. They called 911 and immediately recognized the offending vehicle as a law enforcement car. Averiett later told the California Highway Patrol she was experiencing chest pains and wanted to “expedite” her trip home, ABC7 reported.
Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson called a news conference to announce the charges Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred on May 19, 2025, according to court records.
Neither the city nor Averiett have commented publicly on the charges. The news of Averiett’s case comes in the wake of another ongoing scandal out of San Leandro, involving a homeless man who was picked up by police and abandoned in Oakland against his will, after police determined he hadn’t committed a crime.
This is a developing report. Check back for updates.
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