SAN FRANCISCO—Erlynn Kay Sanchez-Edwards, 25, of Richmond, California, jumped approximately 75 feet off the San Francisco Bay Bridge to avoid arrest on Wednesday, August 12. The suspect reportedly crashed a car she had allegedly stolen.
There were two other women believed to be accomplices in the theft. The car, a Nissan Maxima, was reported stolen out of Los Angeles, several weeks ago. When San Francisco authorities arrived to the scene of the crash at around 2 a.m., three women were walking along a bike path away from the wreckage.
Sanchez-Edwards, who is believed to be the driver of the stolen vehicle began acting erratically, according to officers. She climbed onto the Bay Bridge railing, preparing to jump. An officer tried to grab her and pull her back, but she “pulled out of his grip and fell into the water below,” according to California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer, Vu Williams.
According to CHP officers, a dye pack was thrown into the water following her. The dye pack allows officers to determine the current’s direction. Authorities began searching for Sanchez-Edwards, but were unable to locate her in the water.
A nearby witness told authorities they saw a “soaking-wet woman on the north side of the bridge trying to wave down traffic.” The woman was allegedly picked up by a dump truck near the bridge’s toll plaza and dropped off at an undisclosed location in the city.
The two remaining suspects were held briefly for questioning, but released after claiming they did not know Sanchez-Edwards well.
Ongoing investigations are taking place to locate the suspect on suspicion of vehicle theft, hit and run, as well as resisting arrest. Sanchez-Edwards was last seen at the intersection of Fremont and Folsom Street in San Francisco.
