RICHMOND — A Bay Area rapper known by the moniker Bla$ta has been arrested on an $800,000 warrant in connection with two high speed police chases through West Contra Costa, court records show.
Claudie Easley IV, 30, was charged last week with two felony counts of evading police with reckless endangerment, on top of two previous felony charges of evading police and driving the wrong way. The charges carry enhancements alleging Easley has multiple prior convictions.
In one of the chases, authorities say Easley wrecked the vehicle, and escaped on foot. When police arrived to inspect the car, one of Easley’s songs was still playing loudly on the stereo system.
Easley, a North Richmond resident, was arrested Feb. 8 and remains in the Contra Costa jail system. His arraignment has been set for March 3, court records show.
Police say that Easley was identified as the driver in an Oct. 21, 2021 chase, as well as one on Sept. 19, 2022, both of which began in Rodeo.
In the October 2021 pursuit, a deputy attempted to pull over a Volvo he spotted near Parker Avenue and First Street in Rodeo, and police say they recognized Easley as the driver. Authorities say the Volvo took off down San Pablo Avenue, and the deputy terminated the chase after about a mile.
In the 2022 chase, a deputy driving through Rodeo attempted to pull over a Hyundai Sonata on Napa Avenue. Police allege Easley was driving and that he sped on Interstate 80 toward Hercules, reaching speeds of 120 miles per hour. The car crashed in Emeryville, but Easley allegedly fled on foot and escaped, despite authorities calling in a helicopter to assist.
Police say they recovered two cellphones from the vehicle, and noted Easley was listening to his own music during the chase.
Easley has been public about his brush ups with the law, but in a 2019 interview with the popular Bay Area hip-hop promotion and news site Thizzler, he said he was focusing strictly on music for the future. He also discussed a federal gun sales case from 2012 where he said he was set up by an ATF agent, overcoming “obstacles,” during his upbringing in North Richmond, and his life changes that came with becoming a father.
Source: www.mercurynews.com