“I barely had time to get out of the way,” one witness says after pursuit races through Burney

BURNEY, Calif. — A high-speed vehicle pursuit that raced through the small, Intermountain area towns of Johnson Park and Burney sent other motorists scrambling out of the way of the fleeing Camaro earlier this evening, Friday, Jan. 15.

The driver eventually stopped on Plumas Street near Superior Avenue, where he and three other occupants fled on foot. Two of the occupants who fled were quickly apprehended and detained but later released, according to sheriff’s officials who said the driver has not yet been identified or located.

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Tonight’s incident began around 6:15 p.m., when a Burney Station patrol deputy spotted an unregistered white Chevy Camaro being driven recklessly in the Johnson Park area.

Area witnesses later reported hearing the vehicle racing up and down SR-299E, as well as on multiple side streets throughout the community of just 425 residents.

Official radio traffic at the time indicated that when the deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver of the Camaro refused to yield and despite the deputy’s lights and sirens accelerated away at a high rate of speed.

At that time the deputy updated that the driver was failing to yield and was traveling westbound on SR-299E from Johnson Park toward Burney. 

The deputy reported that the fleeing driver was traveling in excess of 85 mph, and was recklessly passing slower moving motorists against the double yellow lines. At that time the deputy requested spike strips to be prepared toward the west end of town, as the speeding driver entered Burney from the east.

Despite the town’s posted 30 mph speed limit, radio traffic at the time indicated that the fleeing driver was still traveling in excess of 85 miles per hour. The pursuing deputy also reported that at one point the driver overtook three vehicles, driving into oncoming traffic and causing other motorists to veer out of the Camaro’s way.

Just two minutes into the chase and as the Camaro reached the west end of town, the driver suddenly made a right turn, heading northbound on Plumas Street toward Superior Avenue. He then suddenly stopped at which time he and three other occupants fled on foot in all directions from the car.

As other deputies converged on the area, two of the passengers who fled, a man and woman, were quickly apprehended and detained. However both were later released from the scene without charges.

The driver was described as wearing a black sweatshirt with blue jeans and was last seen jumping fences toward Trinity Street.

About ten minutes into the search, SHASCOM emergency dispatchers received a call from a concerned citizen who reported seeing a man climb out from underneath her vehicle before heading westbound on Trinity Street toward Plumas Street about five minutes earlier.

Although the man matched the description of one of those who fled from the vehicle, due to the lapse in timeframe he was not immediately located or apprehended.

Burney resident Aaron Bradshaw later said he was driving eastbound on Main Street/SR-299E toward Safeway with his two young sons when he saw the pursuit heading in his direction.

“I saw the Camaro passing other vehicles on the wrong side of the road with cops right behind him,” Bradshaw described. “And he was going fast. I mean crazy fast for here in town.”

“I barely had time to pull over and get out of the guy’s way just as the Camaro flew past me on the wrong side of the road, right where I had been driving just moments earlier,” the witness continued; adding, “We’re lucky to have not been hit by that idiot. I really hope they catch whoever it was.” 

Contacted for more information regarding the short chase, Shasta County Sheriff’s Sergeant Tim Estes said there were no injuries or property damage related to the incident and that the sheriff’s investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation or who knows the identity and/or whereabouts of the driver who fled is encouraged to contact the Burney Sheriff’s Station at (530) 245-6070 or SHASCOM dispatchers at (530) 245-6540. Callers can remain anonymous.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, 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 KRCR News Channel 7 and Mountain Echo in Shasta County, Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego 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 30 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 18 grandchildren.