UPDATE: DUI suspect in CHP officer death out of hospital, in jail

UPDATE: 1/12/2018 2:48 p.m. The 22-year-old Hayward man responsible for the death of a California Highway Patrol officer killed on Christmas Eve is out of the hospital and in jail.

According to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Mohammed Ali was booked into Santa Rita Jail on charges related to the death of CHP Hayward Officer Andrew Camilleri. He is being held without bail, Alameda County Sheriff’s officials said.

Ali was at the wheel of a speeding red Cadillac when it slammed into a CHP SUV with officers Camilleri and Jonathan Velasquez inside the vehicle. The SUV was parked on the side of the road on Interstate 880 in Hayward monitoring highway traffic as part of the CHP’s holiday DUI crackdown.

Authorities believe Ali was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana at the time of the crash.

In addition to murder, Ali is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher causing injuries to Velasquez, driving under the influence of a combination of drugs and alcohol and driving at speeds of over 100 mph.

Ali is scheduled to be in Alameda County Superior Court on Tuesday morning.

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1/2/2018 10:20 p.m.: (CBS SF) — A 22-year-old Hayward man has been charged with second degree murder in the death of a California Highway Patrol officer who was killed in a Christmas Eve traffic collision on Highway 880 in Hayward, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.

Mohammed Ali was at the wheel of a speeding red Cadillac when it slammed into a CHP SUV with officers Andrew Camilleri and Jonathan Velasquez inside the vehicle. The SUV was parked on the side of the road monitoring highway traffic as part of the CHP’s holiday DUI crackdown.

Camilleri, 33, was killed and Velasquez received minor injuries in the horrific crash. Ali also suffered injuries and remains hospitalized.

On the morning of the crash, CHP Assistant Chief Ernest Sanchez said Ali was on his way home from a holiday party. He said evidence shows Ali was under the influence of both alcohol and marijuana at the time of the crash.

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley said the charges included counts for driving at speeds in excess of 100 mph, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol and causing death and bodily injuries to CHP officers.

At a ‘Last Watch’ ceremony held for Camilleri last week, his commanding officer — Captain Tim Pearson — fought back tears as he talked with reporters.

“I’ve told a number of people that the circumstances are horrible in which we have to be here,” he said. “But to provide this for the family is an absolute honor. This is a very difficult time for the family, the extended family of the department, myself and my command in Hayward. We’re dealing with it, we are grieving.”

Camilleri is survived by his wife Rosanna, three children; 12, 6 and 2 years old; his parents, a brother and sister. He had been with the CHP for a little over a year.

“Andrew has an amazing family,” Pearson said. “His wife is providing a tremendous amount of strength for us when it really should be the other way.”

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The California Highway Patrol says a 22-year-old driver who struck a CHP patrol car, killing an officer, was under the influence of alcohol and possibly marijuana while returning from a party.

Assistant Chief Ernest Sanchez said the driver was traveling at a high speed on Interstate 880 in Hayward when he slammed into the back of a CHP SUV parked on the right shoulder. The crash occurred late Sunday and shut down the southbound lanes of the highway for hours.

The officer who died was in the passenger seat. Sanchez identified him as 33-year-old Andrew Camilleri, a married father of three children. A second officer in the vehicle was treated at a hospital and released.

Camilleri’s family said he was a “hands-on dedicated father” to his 12-year-old daughter, and 6 and 2-year-old sons. Camilleri was scheduled to work Christmas Eve and Christmas morning so the family celebrated Friday.

Camilleri’s mother, Sharon was spending the holiday at her sister Michele Speciale’s house in Monterey. She received a call at 2 a.m. from Andrew’s wife telling her to get to the hospital, “something happened to Andrew.”

The family remains in shock even though his mother said a small part of her had known this day might come.

“It’s always in the back of your mind,” said Sharon. “When you’ve got somebody in law enforcement.”

The CHP declined to release the name of the driver who hit the patrol car.

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10 a.m.

The California Highway Patrol says one of its officers died when a vehicle he was riding in was hit on a San Francisco Bay Area highway.

Officer Hannah Walcott said the officer was on duty and a passenger in a patrol car parked on the shoulder of Interstate 880 in Hayward when he was struck around 11:20 p.m. Sunday. The officer in the driver’s seat suffered minor injuries.

Walcott said the driver who hit the patrol car was taken to a hospital. She didn’t know the driver’s condition. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The crash shut down the highway’s southbound lanes overnight. Walcott said the agency wasn’t immediately releasing the name of the officer who died.

Gov. Jerry Brown issued a statement about the loss of the officer.

“Anne and I are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic loss of Officer Camilleri,” Brown said. “We join his family, friends and the entire California Highway Patrol in mourning his death and honoring his sacrifice.”

Flags at the state Capitol will be flown at half-staff in honor of Camilleri, Brown said.