The Tuolumne County man who engaged in a gun battle with California Highway Patrol officers on an Oakland freeway was a paroled bank robber who could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted under the state's "three strikes and you're out" law, authorities said Monday.
Byron Williams, 45, of Groveland was armed with a handgun, a shotgun and a rifle when he opened fire on CHP officers in Oakland early Sunday after being pulled over on westbound Interstate 580 west of Grand Avenue, authorities said. He was speeding and weaving in traffic in his mother's Toyota Tundra pickup truck, the CHP said.
Williams, who was driving on a suspended license, was shot numerous times by officers but survived his injuries because he was wearing a bullet-resistant vest. He was in serious but stable condition Monday at Highland Hospital in Oakland.
