This story has been updated to include the name of the accused driver, and the status of OPD’s investigation.
OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — The Oakland Police Department is investigating a death that occurred at the scene of a sideshow early Sunday morning, according to a press release from OPD.
The OPD responded to a fatal collision that happened around 2:00 a.m. on Sunday morning near the 5400 block of International Boulevard. Reports stated that there were four pedestrians struck in the area, and when officers arrived on scene they found one injured man was unresponsive and three others were suffering from minor injuries.
Soakai Lolomanaia, 28, of Hayward was pronounced dead at the scene. The three other victims were transported to local hospitals and are in stable condition.
According to OPD, speed was a factor in the incident. A driver in a Nissan was traveling east on International Boulevard at a high rate of speed. Before the collision two officers tried to stop the vehicle when they saw it traveling at more than 100 mph. The vehicle continued down International Boulevard–traveling in the designated bus lane– before it struck several other vehicles, one of which then struck a pedestrian on the sidewalk.
Officers found the 19-year-old Oakland resident behind the wheel of the Nissan. He was detained by police and is currently facing charges of vehicular manslaughter. He was later identified as Arnold Linaldi by OPD.
An administrative investigation has been opened to determine if the two officers at the scene were involved in the incident in any way, and both were placed on administrative leave, OPD Chief LeRonne L. Armstrong announced in a press conference on Monday afternoon. Chief Armstrong says a dedicated sideshow team was deployed that evening to handle the sideshow.
In a press release shared on Wednesday, Chief Armstrong stated she was not able to address any allegations of misconduct due to California State Law and OPD’s policy which prohibits the department from commenting on active investigations.
Some allegations of serious potential misconduct were discovered, and this caused Chief Armstrong to relieve one officer of their police powers on Monday, and the second officer on Tuesday, according to the press release. The OPD is also consulting with Alameda County District Attorney’s office to determine potential culpability of the officers, a standard protocol when an incident results in the loss of life.