UPDATE: Redding man, 27, who leaped to death during Redding vehicle, foot pursuit ID’d

UPDATED: Sunday, Aug. 12, 5 p.m.

See original story below.

REDDING — Officials have identified a man they say died after leaping from Redding’s Diestelhorst pedestrian bridge, near Lake Redding Park and west of Lake Redding Bridge. The man was reportedly trying to elude officers during a vehicle and foot pursuit, after an officer spotted his vehicle swerving on Riverside Dr., near Market St., early Saturday morning, Aug. 11.

Redding Police Sgt. Gary Meadows identified Saturday afternoon Drew Michael Pereau, 27, of Redding, as the man who died after jumping from the bridge.

Redding PD’s investigation is active and ongoing and officials have not released any additional details.

Original story

REDDING — Authorities are trying to identify a man they say died after jumping from Redding’s Diestelhorst pedestrian bridge, near Lake Redding Park and west of Lake Redding Bridge. The man was reportedly trying to elude officers during a vehicle and foot pursuit, after an officer spotted his vehicle swerving on Riverside Dr., near Market St., early Saturday morning, Aug. 11.

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The fatal incident began in the area of Market St. and Riverside Dr. shortly before 3 a.m., when a Redding PD officer spotted a silver 1993 Jeep Cherokee swerving on the roadway and tried to stop the vehicle, Redding Police Officer L. Meyer later explained.

When the officer attempted to stop the unidentified driver of the Jeep, he failed to yield to the officer’s lights and siren and sped away from the official. After fleeing westbound on Riverside Dr. the vehicle turned north on Court St. and attempted to drive onto the pedestrian bridge.

After ramming a tree and plowing through a metal pole blocking vehicle access to the bridge, the suspect continued driving north across the bridge, according to Meyer who explained, “At the north side of the bridge the driver fled on foot from the vehicle.”

Officers who converged on the scene lost sight of the fleeing man and began searching the area, eventually finding his lifeless body on the river trail beneath the bridge.

The man, who “had apparently jumped in his attempt to escape” from officers, sustained “severe injuries” and was not breathing, according to Meyer. Officers immediately requested medical personnel to the scene and began performing CPR, continuing until paramedics arrived and took over life-saving efforts.

Despite their efforts, medical personnel eventually pronounced the driver deceased at the scene.

The suspect has not yet been positively identified and coroner officials will release the man’s name after his family has been notified of his death, according to Meyer.

Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to contact Redding PD at  (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 18-57558 and can remain anonymous.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations, including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook, as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and The Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.