A police chief from the Bay Area is facing scrutiny after allegedly causing a hit-and-run involving a family’s vehicle on a freeway. After the incident, she stated that she had to drive on the shoulder due to experiencing chest pains while heading home.
Last year, San Leandro Police Chief Angela Averriette was driving her department-issued Jeep on Interstate 580 when she crossed into the lane of a family returning from a San Francisco Giants game. Daffani Ryan, who was driving the family car, was understandably shocked and immediately called for help.
“I just got hit by a police officer,” she reported to the dispatcher, emphasizing how the impact felt incredibly intense. She later described seeing the Jeep’s lights flash just before it sideswiped her vehicle, which then sped away.
Her husband managed to jot down the Jeep’s license plate number, leading the California Highway Patrol to identify it as belonging to Averriette’s SUV. In her account to investigators, Averriette insisted she didn’t hear or feel any collision, even though both cars had visible damage.
Interestingly, the CHP decided against pressing hit-and-run charges, citing Averriette’s assertion that she wasn’t aware she had struck anyone.
The situation escalated further when Ryan claimed that a lieutenant from the San Leandro Police called him, offering to cover the damages if he chose not to report the crash. This lieutenant, Antoinette Turner, is now the Deputy Chief and was reportedly involved in the matter on behalf of Averriette.
This incident is not isolated but part of broader concerns within the department. A formal complaint filed by Sgt. Mike Olivera accused Averriette of fostering a “troubling pattern” concerning accountability and enforcement. Additionally, Mike Raines, representing the San Leandro Police Officers Association, expressed that the chief appears to be receiving preferential treatment, which is affecting the morale among rank-and-file officers.
Averriette, who has been in law enforcement since 2001 and has a background with both the Hayward Police and BART Police, did not answer questions when approached by reporters.
