Two Men Slain at Hayward Car Auction Lot

Source: The Oakland Tribune, By Eric Kurhi, February 2, 2010

HAYWARD — A security guard and a long-distance car transport driver were killed in a double homicide at an auto auction business early Tuesday morning, according to officials and associates.

Police were called to the Manheim auto auction facility — formerly Bay Cities Auto Auction — around 5:30 a.m., after a caller reported a possible hit-and-run accident victim.

Officers found one victim, a security guard at the facility, outside the gate. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A search of the area found a second man had been slain in the auction yard parking lot.

Officials have not released the name of either victim, but the second man is believed to be a truck driver based out of Medford, Ore.

An official cause of death for either victim has not been released.

An overhead video of the scene taken from a TV helicopter showed a transport truck backed into a number of cars, with one of its wheels off the ground and slowly spinning. A black sedan with a shattered rear window also was shown.

"There is nothing to indicated that the victims did anything to contribute to their murder," police Lt. Chris Orrey said.

She said police have not established a motive, but "are not ruling out" robbery.

Employees locked themselves in buildings at the yard as a host of law enforcement agencies scoured the 50-acre lot for suspects.

"I got here at 6 and was walking across the lot to go to work," said n employee who didn't want to be identified. "Someone ran over and told me to get in the shop and lock all the doors."

He said he saw "a ton of cops" going through the lot. They remained locked in buildings for more than three hours.

Orrey said the search — which included police dogs from BART police and the Alameda County Sheriff's Office — didn't turn up any suspects.

Orrey said police had no suspect descriptions to release Tuesday evening.

The area where the bodies was found is largely industrial, and Orrey said it's rare for crimes other than auto theft to occur there.

The slayings were the fourth and fifth to occur in Hayward this year. There were seven in all of 2009.

Police ask anyone with information to call them at 510-293-7197.

Eric Kurhi covers Hayward. Contact him at 510-293-2473.

Posted 2/2/2010