An outside investigation found insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against an inspector for the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office for a traffic fatality in 2025, prosecutors said Friday.
The collision took place on Dec. 22, when 27-year-old Phoenix Dunn ran onto a freeway in Antioch and was hit by a car driven by Sean Eriksen, an on-duty inspector for the District Attorney’s Office.
Since the incident involved one of its employees, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office asked the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office to investigate.
Alameda prosecutors found that Eriksen was not at fault. The collision occurred because Dunn appeared suddenly and unlawfully on the freeway, where pedestrians are prohibited, its report said.
Witnesses said Phoenix Dunn ran across multiple lanes of traffic before he was struck by Sean Eriksen’s car in the leftmost lane.
“No further criminal inquiry should occur,” the report concluded.
The report said that Dunn was seen maliciously pulling a fire alarm at the Comfort Inn hotel in Antioch by a security guard at the property.
When the guard chased Dunn, he fled through the hotel parking lot, jumped a fence, and ran onto state Route 4, the freeway also known as the California Delta Highway.
According to testimony from witnesses, including Antioch police officers who were called to the scene, Dunn ran across multiple lanes of traffic before he was struck by Eriksen’s car in the leftmost lane.
Dunn received multiple blunt force injuries and paramedics pronounced him dead. Eriksen suffered minor injuries. He cooperated fully with law enforcement, the report said.