RPD officer injured when DUI driver plows into patrol vehicle

REDDING — An allegedly intoxicated driver was arrested after plowing into the back of a Redding PD patrol vehicle late Thursday evening, Jan. 3. The accident, which sent the officer to the hospital with minor injuries, happened on Cedars Rd. near Kenyon Dr. The injured officer was released after being treated at an area hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

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California Highway Patrol began investigating the collision just after 10 p.m., when they were notified that a possibly intoxicated driver had plowed into the back of a City of Redding police car.

Investigating officers learned that just before the accident the allegedly drunk driver and on-duty police officer were both traveling northbound on Cedars Rd.

Officer Dave Chapman was on patrol in a marked RPD patrol vehicle, while the man who was later arrested was traveling in the same direction at the officer in a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse.

According to Redding Police Sgt. Brian Cole, the Mitsubishi – which was being driven by Jason Paul Snider, 45, of Redding – “was traveling at a high rate of speed” when he plowed into the back of Chapman’s patrol vehicle.

The force of the high-speed impact spun the officer’s patrol sedan around and pushed it off the roadway, where it came to rest facing the wrong way. Snider’s vehicle careened out of control and went off the road “into a green belt area consisting of heavy brush and vines,” said Cole.

Both vehicles sustained major front and rear end damage in the crash and later had to be towed from the scene.

Because the accident involved a city patrol vehicle, California Highway Patrol responded to conduct a crash investigation. Early in their investigation officials noted that Snider displayed obvious signs of intoxication, according to Cole.

Based on their investigation, CHP determined Snyder had a blood alcohol level above .08% and officers arrested the intoxicated man for driving under the influence and DUI resulting in injuries. He was later booked into Shasta County Jail in Redding on his charges.

Chapman, who Cole said had been wearing his seat belt at the time of the collision, was transported to Shasta Regional Medical Center and treated for minor injuries stemming from the collision. He has since been released and is recovering at home.

It was not known if Snider was wearing his seat belt when the crash happened, according to Cole, who used the opportunity to remind area residents “to be responsible and avoid drinking and driving or use a sober driver when consuming alcohol.”

Anyone with information about this collision and investigation is encouraged to contact Redding Police Sgt. Brian Cole at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 19R000639 and can remain anonymous.

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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.