Knife-wielding Burney teen steals truck – pursuit and crash follow

BURNEY — A 14-year-old who reportedly brandished a knife at her aunt while stealing her pickup truck yesterday evening later led Burney deputies on a short pursuit that was cancelled for safety reasons. Just minutes after the pursuit was cancelled and the teen was no longer being followed by officers, the girl lost control of the stolen pickup truck and plowed head-on into a tree along 299E, about two miles east of Oak Run.

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Although details about what preceded the theft and pursuit are still emerging, radio traffic shortly before 6:30 p.m. indicated that deputies had brought a teen back to her aunt’s house on Superior Ave. in Burney, where she was left in her aunt’s care.

Less than two minutes later as deputies were still leaving the area, the girl’s aunt called 911 and reported to SHASCOM emergency dispatchers that her niece, who will not be named due to her age, had pulled a kitchen knife on her and stolen her pickup truck.

The aunt reported the girl was last seen heading west on Superior Ave., and described the truck as a dark charcoal green 2003 Ford F150.

A deputy spotted the stolen pickup moments later, as the young driver was traveling westbound on 299E west of Sierra Pacific. When the deputy activated his emergency lights and siren, the girl failed to yield and attempted to speed away from the deputy. The fleeing girl was soon hitting speeds in excess of 50 mph along the winding, two-lane mountain highway.

After confirming the subject in the stolen truck was a juvenile and known to deputies, an on-duty watch commander cancelled the pursuit, at which time the pursuing deputy discontinued the chase. After turning off his lights and siren the deputy reported he was returning to the city.

A “Be On The Lookout” or BOLO was broadcast to CHP and Redding PD, alerting area officers about the teen and stolen pickup. The girl was initially considered armed and dangerous due to her reportedly having used a kitchen knife while stealing her aunt’s vehicle; but deputies later updated that they had found the knife the girl used. Deputies also updated that the aunt had reported there was less than five dollars of gas in the truck’s gas tank.

Based on the new information, deputies updated their BOLO to reflect that the alleged suspect was no longer considered armed and dangerous, but was still wanted for the theft of her aunt’s truck.

About a half-hour later, CHP received a 911 call reporting that a truck had lost control and plowed head-on into a tree about 30 feet off Highway 299E, east of Oak Run Rd. 911 callers reported the truck had been traveling westbound when the driver lost control and the pickup careened off the roadway, before crashing into the tree.

When officials began arriving at the scene just a few minutes after the crash was reported, they updated finding a girl they described as “emotionally unstable” and they requested that CHP, Burney deputies, and an ambulance respond to the location.

Other than the teen suspect, no injuries were reported related to the string of incidents.

Deputies later updated that CHP had taken custody of the girl, but no information was provided as to what charges the teen could be facing. A request for further information sent to the involved agencies had not been responded to as of this report.

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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.