A man suspected of kidnapping, beating and a woman and then leaving her in the Oakland hills died after a chase and confrontation with police in Richmond, authorities said.

The incident began Thursday evening when the suspect, Juan Ayon Barraza, 24, of Vacaville kidnapped a woman in Solano County and beat her, authorities said.

At about 6:45 p.m., officers with the Oakland Police Department responded to a report of a woman abandoned on the side of the road in the area of Pinehurst Road and Skyline Boulevard.

A witness was able to provide a description of a white Chevy Astro van involved in the incident, police said.

Oakland and Moraga police found the van and tried to pull it over, but the vehicle did not stop, and a pursuit ensued.


Police said the suspect vehicle traveled to Richmond to the area of South 37th Street and Stege Avenue, where Barraza rammed the van into an Oakland police car as two officers were exiting their vehicle.

"Everything happened so fast. There must be at least 30, 40, 50 cops within like 15 seconds," said witness Cesar Padilla.

Barraza pointed a gun in the direction of officers, and Richmond and Oakland police shot at the suspect, authorities said.

"It was one shot, and then about 20 shots after that," said witness Katrin Auch.

It was not immediately clear if Barraza died from police gunfire, a self-inflicted gunshot wound or combination of both.

The victim suffered serious injuries and was taken to the hospital in critical condition, police said.

The injured officers were expected to recover.

Multiple agencies are investigating the incident including the Oakland Police Department, the Richmond Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Moraga Police Department, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office and the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office.

KTVU's Henry Lee contributed to this story