SF Police Chief Faces Hit-and-Run Charge

Alameda County prosecutors have charged San Leandro Police Chief Angela Averiett with misdemeanor hit-and-run after a 2025 freeway collision, according to the county district attorney’s office. The charge was announced May 14 by District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson and stems from a crash on May 19, 2025, on eastbound Interstate 580 near the Interstate 680 interchange. Prosecutors said the California Highway Patrol handled the initial investigation. Averiett denied knowingly leaving the scene and said she believed she was experiencing a medical emergency at the time. The case surfaced publicly after media reports in late March and was then reviewed by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said their office requested the CHP report in April and later found probable cause to file a charge under California Vehicle Code 20002(a). The city of San Leandro placed Averiett on paid administrative leave on May 13, and Assistant Police Chief Luis Torres was named acting chief while the city looks for an interim chief. ### Which police chief was charged, and where did this happen? Angela Averiett is the chief of police in San Leandro, a city in Alameda County east of San Francisco. The underlying collision happened in Dublin on Interstate 580, not in San Francisco, according to the district attorney’s office. June 3, 2024, was the date Averiett was formally sworn in as San Leandro’s police chief, according to KQED. She had previously been appointed interim chief in April 2024. ### What do prosecutors say happened on Interstate 580? May 19, 2025, at about 10:51 p.m., is when prosecutors say the collision occurred on eastbound I-580 near the I-680 interchange. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office said the case arose from that crash and that CHP conducted the original investigation. KQED, citing earlier reporting by ABC7, said a family driving home from a San Francisco Giants game reported that an unmarked police Jeep with emergency lights was traveling down the median or shoulder, swerved into their lane, struck the driver’s side mirror and continued on. KQED reported no injuries were alleged in the collision. ### What has Angela Averiett said in response? Averiett said at a May 13 press conference that she “did not knowingly leave the scene of a collision,” according to KQED. She said the damage described was minor and that she had no indication contact had occurred. Averiett also said she believed she was having a medical emergency, KQED reported. The outlet said she did not specify the condition during her remarks. ### Why did the district attorney say the case was unusual? Ursula Jones Dickson said the matter did not reach her office in the usual way. In the district attorney’s statement, she said her office had a duty to independently review the evidence and pursue charges when the facts supported criminal counts. KQED reported Jones Dickson said the complaint was “unusual” because it was not escalated to her office in the normal course of business. After a separate investigation by the district attorney’s inspector division, prosecutors said they found sufficient probable cause to file the misdemeanor charge. ### What penalty does the charge carry? Vehicle Code 20002(a) is the cited offense in the charging statement. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office said the maximum punishment is six months in county jail and a $1,000 fine. Jones Dickson also said the driver whose vehicle was damaged was entitled to restitution, according to KQED. Prosecutors described the case as a misdemeanor and said there was no allegation of injury. ### What happened inside the police department after the charge? May 13 was the date San Leandro placed Averiett on paid administrative leave, according to a city statement cited by KQED. Luis Torres, the assistant police chief, is serving as acting chief while the city identifies an interim chief. KQED reported that the driver involved in the crash had complained to the department after obtaining the vehicle’s plate number and learning it was registered to the San Leandro Police Department. The outlet said the driver alleged a watch commander initially denied the vehicle belonged to the department and later offered to pay for repairs. June 18, 2026, is the next scheduled court date. The district attorney’s office said Averiett is set to be arraigned at 9 a.m. in Department 712 of the East County Hall of Justice.