Hayward police sergeant killed; alleged gunman wounded, arrested

Law enforcement officers salute as the body of Hayward police Sgt. Scott Lunger leaves Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley. Law enforcement officers salute as the body of Hayward police Sgt. Scott Lunger leaves Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley. Photo: Michael Macor / Michael Macor / The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Michael Macor / Michael Macor / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 74 Caption Close Hayward police sergeant killed; alleged gunman wounded, arrested 1 / 74 Back to Gallery

It began with an erratic driver on a quiet street in the middle of the night. Spotting the pickup truck, Hayward police Sgt. Scott Lunger radioed in to dispatch: “He’s swerving all over the road.”

Within minutes, the ensuing traffic stop early Wednesday went terribly wrong.

With no warning, police officials said, the young man behind the wheel pulled out a gun and fatally shot Lunger as he approached on foot. Then the man sped away — though not before being wounded by a second Hayward officer who returned fire.

Lunger, a 48-year-old Brentwood resident, was soon pronounced dead at a hospital. Meanwhile, the suspect ditched the bullet-scarred truck and turned up at another hospital, authorities said, before he was transferred to a trauma center, arrested and put under police guard.

But why the violence had exploded remained a mystery as the Hayward force mourned its first loss of an officer in the line of duty since 1987. The suspect, 21-year-old Mark Anthony Estrada of Oakland, does not appear to have a criminal history of any kind, officials said.

“This is a very devastating and dark day,” said Capt. Mark Koller. “Unfortunately, a police officer’s job is very dangerous, and as we can see today, there’s nothing routine about what our officers do. There are times where they have no idea who they’re stopping. It could be for a traffic violation, as we’ve been led to believe today, and the tragedy happens immediately, without warning.”

Asked for a possible motive in the shooting, Police Chief Diane Urban said, “There’s no why. It’s an absolutely senseless murder.”

A white 2001 Chevrolet Silverado owned by Estrada and believed to have been involved in the incident was found in East Oakland, the driver’s side pockmarked by bullet holes. Urban said investigators recovered a gun and ammunition as well Wednesday, and would test whether that weapon was used in the shooting.

A source close to the investigation said Estrada showed up with gunshot wounds at San Leandro Hospital, accompanied by family members.

Video: Slain Hayward Officer Lifted Into Coroner's Van

Different hospitals

Because the hospital isn’t a trauma center, officials tried to transfer him to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, but realized that the officer had been taken there, the source said. Estrada was then transferred to the trauma center at Highland Hospital in Oakland.

The incident had begun about 3:15 a.m. when Lunger spotted the pickup truck being driven erratically near Myrtle and Lion streets, according to police radio traffic. The sergeant told a dispatcher, who sent a second officer to back up the sergeant.

Lunger tried to pull the truck over, but the driver refused to stop immediately. The driver came to a stop at Lion and Kiwanis streets, and a confrontation ensued.

“Sgt. Lunger got out of the car and approached the driver’s side of the vehicle,” Koller said. “The driver shot Sgt. Lunger without warning.”

After returning fire, the officer with Lunger yelled on the radio, “Shots fired! Shots fired! White Chevy Silverado truck! He’s still going!”

The officer then reported, “Send me Fire,” a reference to the Fire Department. “My partner down — partner down.”

“Who’s down?” the dispatcher asked.

“Sgt. Lunger’s down,” the officer responded.

The encounter was not captured on a video or audio recording. Most Hayward patrol officers haven’t been outfitted with body cameras, and the department doesn’t use dashboard cameras, officials said.

Lunger, who played in an adult baseball league and coached softball at Freedom High in Oakley, leaves behind two grown daughters.

He was serving as a patrol sergeant. He had previously been a member and leader of the department’s SWAT team and served in the gang unit, Koller said.

Scores of police vehicles and motorcycles surrounded Eden Medical Center after Lunger was rushed there. His flag-draped casket was brought into an Alameda County coroner’s van as officers, their badges wrapped in black bands of mourning, saluted.

At a news conference at Hayward City Hall, Koller thanked the community for its outpouring of support.

“We are working through this,” he said. “We will work through this. The men and women of our organization are strong.”

As the day went on, police were looking for evidence in Estrada’s truck, which was found near 98th and Edes avenues in East Oakland.

Home searched

Oakland police cordoned off Estrada’s family home on Beverly Avenue, between 107th and 108th avenues, in East Oakland. Officers removed at least five paper bags, a computer screen and two boxes of potential evidence.

Urban said that gang-related materials were found but that Estrada was not a known gang member. She said the young man, who worked with his father at a roofing company in Hayward, was not being cooperative with investigators.

A next-door neighbor, who declined to identify himself, said there hadn’t been any problems at the house. The family had lived there for five or six years, the neighbor said.

“The whole family is nice,” he said. “It’s just unbelievable. ... You can’t ask why, ’cause there’s never a why.”

At the shooting scene, California Highway Patrol cruisers and yellow tape blocked off the neighborhood.

Maria Gonzalez was asleep in her home on Filbert Street when she was awakened by gunfire. “I heard four to six gunshots, and they sounded like two different guns,” Gonzalez said in Spanish.

Sounds of sirens and a helicopter hovering overhead followed. But Gonzalez, who was frightened by the gunfire, never ventured out to look — and did not leave her home all morning.

“The only thing I saw was a helicopter from my kitchen window,” she said. She was shocked when told that a police officer had died after being shot.

Another resident, who didn’t want to give his name, said he heard four or five shots.

“Then it was a barrage of about 10 more shots,” he said, adding that his first reaction was, “OK, maybe I better duck for fear of a stray bullet.”

Last officer killed in 1987

Lunger, who was promoted to sergeant in 2009, is the first member of the Hayward Police Department to be killed in the line of duty since 1987, when an officer was stabbed to death by a suspect. Two other officers had been killed previously.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris said Lunger’s “service and his sacrifice will be forever remembered by the people of California.”

Carla Dardon showed up at Hayward City Hall for the news conference. She said she knew Lunger.

“He was such a good person. I feel devastated,” Dardon said. “I don’t know how to put it in words. I feel for the department, the community. All the bad rap the police have right now — when we’re in trouble, who are the first people we call? Them.”

With flags at half-staff, more than 100 people gathered at Hayward City Hall Wednesday night to pay respects to the fallen officer.

“I’ve been in Hayward a long time,” said Mayor Barbara Halliday. “And this is the saddest day of my career.”

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer s Suzanne Espinosa Solis, Jaxon Van Derbeken and Kale Williams contributed to this report.

Henry K. Lee, Jill Tucker and Hamed Aleaziz are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com, jtucker@sfchronicle.com, haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Henryklee, @JillTucker, @HAleaziz