Although pursuit cancelled, fleeing suspects involved in wreck

UPDATED: Saturday, May 9, 10:45 a.m., With update from RPD.

See Original Story below.

REDDING, Calif. — Officials this morning reported that last night’s solo-vehicle crash, which happened on Cypress Ave. at the southbound I-5 on-ramp, resulted in four people – including three juvenile females – being injured.

The crash occurred shortly after Redding police officers had attempted to stop the vehicle, following reports of a disturbance the 2900 block of Lanning Ave, Redding Police Sgt. Paul Slagle reported this morning.

Radio traffic at the time indicated that when the driver, Christian Infante, of Redding, refused to yield and began fleeing from officers with his lights off, officers discontinued their attempt to stop the car.

“Based on numerous factors, officers did not give chase to the vehicle,” explained Cogle; who reported that despite no longer being chased, the driver was involved in a wreck just moments later.

Although early, unconfirmed reports from the scene indicated that one victim was possibly ejected during the crash and sustained critical injuries, Cogle has since reported that all four subjects were later transported to Mercy Medical Center and treated for minor injuries.

Cogle said RPD’s investigation is ongoing and no further details would be released at this time.

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Original Story: BREAKING: Although pursuit cancelled, fleeing suspects involved in wreck

UPDATED: Saturday, May 9, 4:37 a.m., With additional details.

Writer’s note: As of this breaking report, no details related to this incident have been confirmed by law enforcement officials and all information was gathered from official radio traffic at the time as well as witness statements from the scene.
-TM

REDDING, Calif. — Details are beginning to emerge after a minor injury wreck involving a car that minutes earlier had fled from officers in Redding late last night, Friday, May 8.

Although a pursuit was initiated, it was called off within moments for safety reasons after the driver of the fleeing car turned off their headlights and began running stoplights while speeding on Cypress Ave.

Despite no longer being pursued, the driver continued at reckless speeds before losing control and hitting a raised median at the southbound I-5 on-ramp.

The impact with the median caused the small sedan to soar into the area before it struck a raised curb on the opposite side of the on-ramp, which launched the car over a drainage gully. The car then landed in heavy brush on the freeway embankment.

Although early, unconfirmed reports from the scene indicated that one victim was possibly ejected during the crash and sustained critical injuries – with CPR being performed at the scene, officials later reported that the crash resulted in minor injuries to the 20-year-old driver and his three juvenile female passengers.

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Although none of the involved agencies have yet responded to requests for information, official radio traffic at the time indicated that around 10:45 p.m., Redding police officers were dispatched to “third-hand reports” of a disturbance involving someone who was possibly armed with a weapon.

When officers arrived in the area they spotted a vehicle believed to have been involved in the disturbance. The car was leaving the area and officers attempted to conduct an investigatory traffic stop.

Despite the officers’ lights and sirens, the driver refused to yield and continued driving at speeds of around 40 mph, according to radio traffic.

Officers are continuing to work at the scene of a major injury crash, after a vehicle fled from Redding police officers later last night. Although no longer being chased after the pursuit was cancelled for safety reasons, the car continued fleeing before being involved in a spectacular, solo-vehicle crash that sent the sedan soaring into the air. Dylan Brown photo

Officers continued trying to stop the car, describing it at the time as a white Volkswagen sedan occupied by several people, before updating that the car had begun actively trying to elude them.

At that time, officers advised SHASCOM emergency dispatchers that they had initiated a vehicle pursuit.

Radio traffic indicated that as the pursuit was still getting underway a supervisor advised officers to cancel the chase, due to limited information related to the original call that preceded the pursuit, and due to the dangerous driving actions of the fleeing suspects.

Officers involved in the chase acknowledged their supervisor, advising they were no longer pursuing the car and had turned off their lights and sirens. Officers also requested that CHP be notified regarding the circumstances of the cancelled pursuit and to be on the lookout for the vehicle.

An officer then reported from a distance that the driver of the fleeing car had turned off the vehicle’s headlights and was running all red lights.

Moments later the officer updated that the car had wrecked at the I-5 on-ramp from Cypress Ave.

The first officer to arrive at the scene requested emergency response from multiple additional units, as well as CHP, firefighters and LSU paramedics.

Officers at the scene requested a total of four ambulances.

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The wreck and subsequent investigation caused Cypress Ave. to be temporarily closed, as were the freeway on and off ramps at the intersection.

As of this report it was not known how many total people were inside the car when it wrecked, or what the current medical conditions of those victims were.

It was also not immediately known if Redding PD or CHP would be handling the crash investigation, which is still active and ongoing at the scene.

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

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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.