A San Mateo police officer on the lookout for illegal fireworks ended the Fourth of July in a high-speed chase with a felon whose arrest turned up a loaded gun.
Okusitino Tau
Police said the officer saw a man set off a mortar-style firework within yards of him on 2nd Avenue. The man then drove off at high speed. The officer attempted to catch him but gave up because the man was driving so recklessly.
Okusitino Tau and a woman companion, Samatalifolau Langi, 24, of Merced, were later found at a residence in the 100 block of South Grant Street, police said. Tau attempted to hide from police while Langi was detained then attempted to get away on foot, without success.
A search of Tau’s vehicle found a stolen firearm and illegal fireworks. Police said he was ultimately accused of violating parole by being in possession of a gun, evading “with wanton disregard for safety,” obstructing or resisting an officer, possession of stolen property, and hit-and-run involving another vehicle.
Langi was arrested for possession of a narcotic substance and possession of a controlled substance without prescription, police said.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.