A 47-year-old Lodi man was arrested in Livermore last Sunday after police say he fled officers in a stolen Hyundai Sonata, drove the wrong way down a freeway off-ramp, then ditched the car and ran across Interstate 580 before a police drone spotted him hiding on the other side. Officers also found a large amount of stolen mail inside the car, according to police.
The chain of events began on Aug. 9 when an automated license plate reader flagged a stolen license plate out of Pleasanton near First Street and Interstate 580, according to the Livermore Police Department. Officers responding to the alert located a black Hyundai Sonata parked in front of a business on First Street. The department says the Sonata itself had been reported stolen out of Livermore weeks earlier, in July.
When officers approached, the driver — later identified as Steven Wolverton — drove away from them, prompting Livermore Police to initiate a pursuit. That pursuit was canceled after Wolverton drove the wrong way on a freeway off-ramp, a maneuver police said created too great a risk to continue the chase. Under California Vehicle Code Section 2800.4, fleeing officers by driving against the flow of traffic is a wobbler offense that can carry up to three years in state prison. per FindLaw…