Wanted felon arrested after 130 mph Redding pursuit travels into Tehama County

REDDING — A wanted felon with multiple felony warrants was arrested early Sunday morning, Nov. 18, after leading officials from multiple agencies on a 50 mile pursuit that reached speeds of 130 mph.

The pursuit began on Eureka Way in Redding and ended in Tehama County when the alleged suspect crashed his Chevy Camaro into a drainage ditch while trying to avoid a set of spike strips, according to Redding PD officials. Although the man attempted to flee on foot, he was quickly apprehended after surrendering to a police K-9.

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After his arrest, Christopher Levan, 30, of Redding, was transported back to Redding and booked into Shasta County Jail on suspicion of recklessly evading officers, being a felon in possession of a stun gun, and resisting arrest.

An online jail records search indicated Levan was also booked for his warrants, which were related to possession of dangerous weapons, false impersonation, and failure to appear in court. He remains in custody and is being held without bail.

Sunday morning’s incident began after a Redding police officer was towing a vehicle from the parking lot of a 7-11 on Eureka Way and allowed the driver of the towed vehicle to contact a friend for a ride, Redding Police Corporal Jeff Schmidt explained after Levan’s arrest.

At around 3:15 a.m., while the officer was completing paperwork on the vehicle to be towed he observed a newer model Camaro approaching at a high rate of speed with its lights off.

When the Camaro abruptly turned off Eureka Way onto Rose Ave., the officer learned the driver of the Camaro, later identified as Levan, was the friend responding to pick up the person whose vehicle was being towed.

After running Levan’s name the officer learned the man had several warrants for his arrest and a suspended driver’s license. Based on Levan’s warrants and license status, the officer put out a radio broadcast for other officers in the area to attempt to locate and stop him.

Other officers soon observed the Camaro being driven eastbound in the area of Shasta and Market Streets. Levan was “driving at an unsafe speed and running red lights” and officers were unable to catch up with him to make an enforcement stop at that time, according to Schmidt.

Several minutes later, another officer spotted the Camaro racing southbound on Hilltop Dr., south of Lake Blvd. As the officer caught up to the car, Levan immediately punched the accelerator and began to flee southbound Hilltop Dr., at which time a pursuit was initiated.

As the chase continued on multiple streets on the east side of town, Levan drove without regard for the safety of other citizens or pursuing officers and he continued to run red traffic lights and drive in an extremely reckless manner, reaching speeds of 80 mph.

“Luckily, due to the time of morning, there was little to no traffic or pedestrians out,” and the pursuit was allowed to continue, explained Schmidt.

Other officers, including RPD Officer Nolan Guiducci and his K-9 partner Dozer, soon joined the dangerous chase, as it continued onto southbound I-5, reaching speeds of 130 mph, according to Schmidt.

Based on the extremely high speeds and dangerous nature of Levan’s driving, Redding PD requested California Highway Patrol and other area agencies to assist in the ongoing chase.

As the pursuit neared Anderson, APD officers made several attempts to deploy spike strips to disable Levan’s vehicle, but the fleeing man was able to avoid the spikes each time.

The pursuit continued southbound on I-5 into Tehama County, where Tehama County sheriff’s deputies also attempted to deploy spike strips at two different locations.

“The first was unsuccessful but, in an attempt to avoid the second set of spike strips, the driver drove into the center median, down a steep embankment and became stuck in a small drainage (ditch),” Schmidt explained.

After his vehicle was no longer operable, Levan fled on foot, running east across the northbound lanes of I-5. He quickly stopped and surrendered when he was told a police dog would be released and was taken into custody without further incident.

No officers or citizens were injured during the pursuit.

Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to contact Redding Police Corporal Jeff Schmidt at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 18R082332 and can remain anonymous.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year 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 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.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.