Castro Valley Robbery Suspect and Accomplice Arrested After I-580 Pursuit

Police tasered and then arrested a 24-year-old Castro Valley man after he beat a Pleasanton hotel guest and fled in his car on Tuesday.

Police chased him and a 16-year-old companion — a Pleasanton girl — on Interstate 580 but stopped the pursuit at Castro Valley Boulevard for safety reasons, Lt. Brian Laurence said in a press release.

Officers found him later inside a Castro Valley house, but he ran out a back door. That's when officers ran after him, tasered him and arrested him, according to police.

first received a call around 3 p.m. Tuesday from a 19-year-old man staying at the Tri-Valley Inn on Santa Rita Road, saying he had just been beaten and robbed. The suspect, an acquaintance of the hotel guest, was eventually identified as Bradley Amaral of Castro Valley. He and the 16-year-old girl were visiting the victim when Amaral allegedly began punching him. Then, he and the girl allegedly stole some things and drove away in their 2001 Chevy Monte Carlo.

The victim was treated for lacerations to his head.

Several minutes after the first call, a Pleasanton officer spotted the car around Hopyard Road and Owens Drive. The officer tried to stop the car, but the suspects fled onto westbound I-580 and a chase began.

The California Highway Patrol, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and Hayward Police Department (Amaral's car was registered out of Hayward) were all notified.

The car went as fast as 90 miles per hour, according to police, and eventually exited at Castro Valley Boulevard. where police stopped the chase.

Sheriff’s patrol units then found the suspect's car in the Castro Valley Hills. Hayward officers recognized the male suspect’s name and both agencies were able to provide valuable investigative leads that eventually led to a house close
to where the car had been abandoned, according to the release.

As deputies and officers approached the house, Amaral ran out the back door. Officers chased and tasered him, then arrested him.

As part of the post-arrest search, officers found methamphetamine in his
pants pocket.

Amaral sustained minor injuries from the arrest and taser deployment, police said. He was treated at and then booked into Santa Rita Jail for robbery, reckless evading of a peace officer and possession of suspected methamphetamine.

His female accomplice was arrested for her alleged role in the robbery and was later released to a parent.

No civilians or law enforcement personnel were injured during this incident.