Wanted felon arrested after APD pursuit into Happy Valley

ANDERSON — Authorities arrested a wanted felon they say fled from a traffic stop before crashing his car and fleeing on foot late last night, Friday, Jan. 24.

Despite attempting to hide inside a nearby parked car, the alleged suspect was apprehended with the use of Anderson PD’s K-9 “Aero”, according to officials who later announced the successful tracking and apprehension.

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Last night’s incident began around 10:15 p.m., when an Anderson police officer observed a red Honda Civic nearly cause a traffic collision “due to an unsafe turning movement,” APD officials later said in a social media release.

When the officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle, the driver refused to yield. Despite the officer’s lights and siren, the fleeing man, later identified as Levi Robert McLeod, 26, of Anderson, began to speed away from the officer, at which time officials initiated a pursuit and requested assistance from CHP and Shasta County sheriff’s deputies.

Officers arrested Levi McLeod after the wanted felon and probationer fled from officials, leading them on a dangerous, high-speed pursuit that ended when McLeod crashed his Honda and attempted to hide inside a nearby parked car. APD photos

As the pursuit continued and assisting officers began to converge on the area, McLeod led officials on a high-speed pursuit that traveled out Olinda Rd. from Anderson and into the Happy Valley area.

Officers involved in the pursuit radioed that McLeod was fleeing without regard for the safety of other citizens or pursuing officers; and at times was seen traveling at high speeds through posted stop signs and stop lights and driving on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic.

Official radio traffic at the time indicated pursuing officers continued chasing McLeod until temporarily losing sight of his Honda. Despite momentarily losing visual on the fleeing vehicle officers soon found the Honda, after McLeod crashed at a “T” intersection in the area of Palm Ave. and Monte Vista Dr.

Upon approaching the disabled vehicle, officers found the Honda abandoned after McLeod fled on foot into a large adjacent field.

With assistance from K-9 Aero, along with a CHP helicopter and sheriff’s deputies, officers began to track McLeod from where he abandoned his vehicle.

A short time later K-9 Aero enthusiastically led officials to the carport of a residence about 400′ from the abandoned Honda.

Officers soon found McLeod hiding inside a vehicle parked within the carport. Upon seeing the K-9 approaching, the hiding man surrendered to officers without further incident, according to officials.

After detaining McLeod, officers learned the man had an active felony warrant for his arrest and was on probation out of Shasta County for a prior domestic violence conviction.

Based on their investigation, officers arrested McLeod and he was later booked into Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of felony evading a peace officer, evading a peace officer on the wrong side of the roadway, driving without a valid drivers license, possession of drug paraphernalia, and violating the terms and conditions of his probation.

Jail records indicate McLeod remains in custody and is being held without bail.

No officers or citizens were injured during the pursuit or apprehension and APD’s investigation into the incident is continuing.


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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; 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 29 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 16 grandchildren.