Three people injured, two cars damaged in suspected drunk driving accident in Antioch, Tuesday morning
By Sergeant Quintero, Antioch Police Community Policing Bureau
On Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 8:04 a.m., Antioch Police dispatch received numerous phone calls of an auto versus pedestrian collision on Delta Fair Blvd at School Street, which is the entrance to Turner Elementary School. Contra Costa Fire and AMR were summoned as injuries were reported to be serious, if not critical.
Upon arrival, Antioch police officers located two adults, a 32 year-old Pittsburg woman and a 47 year-old Oakley woman, and one juvenile pedestrian victim, an eight year-old boy from Oakley, located on the southeast corner of Delta Fair Blvd and School Street who had apparently been struck by a 2012 Audi A3 Wagon then laying on its side in the driveway of 4205 Delta Fair Blvd. All three pedestrians were flown to John Muir Medical Center by helicopter for treatment. The two adults were treated for various broken bones and lacerations but both are expected to survive. The juvenile was knocked to the ground, but had no complaint of pain and no visible injuries.
Michael James Ratliff, a 22 year-old Oakland resident, was identified as the driver of the Audi and had an odor of alcohol on his breath. He was arrested and taken to the Antioch Police Department for further investigation but his level of intoxication will be determined by laboratory results.
An unknown black male passenger in Ratliff’s vehicle fled the scene on foot after the collision for an unknown reason and his identity and whereabouts are unknown.
It was determined that Ratliff struck a 2002 Toyota Camry just prior to losing control of his vehicle and striking the pedestrians as they stood on the corner waiting to cross the street. The Camry was driven by a 47 year-old Antioch man, who was entering the school to drop off his five and nine year-old sons for school. No one in the Camry was injured and the Camry only sustained moderate damage.
The names of the other involved parties are not being released at this time until notification of family members can be accomplished.
The cause of this accident is still under investigation.
The Antioch Police are aware of numerous other potential witnesses who were driving or walking in the area at the time the collision occurred. We are requesting persons who witnessed the collision call Officer Eric Johnsen at 779-6900 x84265.
This preliminary information is made available by the Traffic Bureau. Any further inquires into the status of this case should be done via the Media Access Telephone Line (925) 779-6874.
Learn more about community-oriented policing, why it is needed and why it works. For insight and direction on this and other important police improvement issues, take a look at “Arrested Development: A Veteran Police Chief Sounds Off About Protest, Racism, Corruption and the Seven Steps Necessary to Improve Our Nation’s Police” (Amazon.com in US and EU). And my blog at http://improvingpolice.wordpress.com/ where other current police improvement issues are discussed. Good luck and may we all experience not just good but great policing! Great policing is accomplished by police who are well-trained and led, restrained in their use of force, honest, and courteous to every person.