Liquor Store Theft Suspect Arrested after Getaway Car Crashes – Accomplice Still Sought
LAFAYETTE, CA — One suspect, William P. Ware, 43, of Oakland, was arrested following a liquor store theft, and
getaway car crash in Lafayette on June 2.
Ware is one of two suspects who fled from BevMo, 3590 Mount Diablo Boulevard. The second suspect remains at large.
Officers initially responded to a report of shoplifting, but the incident turned into a bigger case. Both
suspects fled in silver-colored Honda. “The suspect vehicle drove passed an officer, who attempted to
stop the car,” Lafayette police said in a prepared statement.
The Honda crashed into another vehicle a short distance away on Pleasant Hill Road. Both suspects
next fled on foot. The occupants of the other vehicle were transported to a hospital for medical
evaluation, but apparently not seriously injured.
Orinda police and county sheriff’s deputies set up a perimeter and helped search for the suspects.
California Highway Patrol dispatched a helicopter for aerial surveillance, and East Bay Regional Park
District Police also provided assistance.
Lafayette police placed Ware under arrest at approximately 4 p.m. Ware remains in custody at the
West County Detention Facility ineligible for release on bond, pending further legal proceedings. The
following charges were filed on June 4 against Ware –
· Theft with two or more convictions
· Prohibited person possessing ammunition
· Fleeing from a pursuing officer and driving against traffic
Ware has six prior arrests on his record, and he was convicted for grand theft and second-degree
burglary in 2024. He was convicted for second-degree vehicle burglary in 2003.
– By Jim Emerson
