RV hits car after car while barreling down shoulder of I-580 over Altamont Pass

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California Highway Patrol officers arrested the driver of a recreational vehicle to end a brief standoff about a half-hour after the motorhome struck nearly 20 vehicles while reportedly barreling down the shoulder of Interstate 580 in unincorporated Livermore on Monday.

The situation unfolded just after 6 p.m. Monday when CHP dispatch received a report about a white motorhome crashing into multiple vehicles on eastbound I-580 west of the North Flynn Road interchange. The RV was said to be passing on the right shoulder while the freeway was in stop-and-go traffic conditions, according to CHP Officer Robert Purl.

About four minutes later, a CHP-Dublin officer in the area observed in his rearview mirror a white RV driving about 35 mph on the right shoulder to pass vehicles, according to Purl.

As the RV passed the officer and exited the freeway at North Flynn Road, he witnessed the RV crash into another vehicle on the offramp and keep driving, according to Purl. The officer moved to pull over the RV by activating his lights and siren, but the driver failed to yield, resulting in a pursuit.

The chase went onto Carroll Road and then Altamont Pass Road as the RV fled at speeds reaching 30 mph in light traffic, according to Purl. The motorhome would ultimately become disabled on eastbound Altamont Pass Road east of Carroll Road.

The driver — whose identity was not revealed — allegedly did not surrender right away, holing up in the RV and leading to an 18-minute standoff. The driver would then self-surrender and be safely apprehended by officers, according to Purl.

Purl said on Tuesday morning that investigators estimated a total of 19 vehicles were involved in the successive collisions on I-580 because of the RV.