160+ mph pursuit from Mt. Shasta to Redding ends with arrests – Handgun, drugs, cash seized

April 16, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. — Authorities say two men are in custody after a wild and dangerous high-speed pursuit that began near Mt. Shasta and tore through the Intermountain area before ending with a foot bail in Bella Vista earlier today, Friday, April 16.

California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Ogden told SCNS this afternoon that the chase hit speeds in excess of 160 mph as it passed through Burney toward Hatchet Summit, forcing CHP and other assisting law enforcement agencies to abandon the ground pursuit, while a helicopter assumed the chase from overhead.

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Today’s pursuit began near Mt. Shasta when law enforcement officials attempted to conduct a traffic enforcement stop on a 2007 Mercedes-Benz with no license plates attached, according to Ogden; who did not specify if the missing plates were the cause of the original attempted stop.

Two men who were in the vehicle, since identified as Devin Reinoehl 18, and Charles Charity, 19, both out of Oregon, refused to yield to officers’ lights and sirens and a pursuit was initiated.

According to Ogden, CHP – Yreka area officers chased the fleeing vehicle southbound on SR-89 to Four Corners, where the Mercedes turned west onto SR-299E toward the small mountain town of Burney. At that point, Ogden assumed primary in the pursuit.

CHP says a dangerous, 160 mph pursuit that began near Mt. Shasta ended with the arrest of two men in Bella Vista, after spike strips managed to slow the pursued vehicle. Although the vehicle’s two occupants attempted to flee on foot, both were quickly apprehended. Amanda Stafford photo

With speeds already well in excess of 100 mph as the pursuit neared Black Ranch Road, a Northern Division Air Ops helicopter crew that had responded to assist in the pursuit took over the chase, allowing pursuing ground vehicles to back off and slow down.

Although no longer being pursued by ground vehicles, the Mercedes blasted through Burney in excess of 80 mph, despite the town’s 30 mph speed limit, sending other area motorists and pedestrians scrambling for safety to get out of the fleeing car’s path.

Multiple near accidents were reported in town due to the speeding vehicle’s reckless driving and several area residents reported minor damage to their vehicles caused by rocks and other debris kicked up by the speeding car; however, no actual accidents or injuries were reported.

According to Ogden, the pursuing aviation crew reported that as the Mercedes passed the side-by-side Sierra Pacific Industries and Shasta Green mills on the west end of town, the driver rocketed to speeds in excess of 160 mph, with the Mercedes passing slower moving big-rigs and passenger vehicles both on the left and right.

Once through town, the chase continued over Hatchet Summit and began heading down the mountain toward Redding, where CHP officers, Shasta County Sheriff’s deputies, and Redding police officers were set up at several different locations and prepared to take over and assist with the pursuit.

Officials who were ahead of the chase set out spike strips and a successful deployment managed to flatten one or more of the speeding sedan’s tires, bringing the chase to an end near Kern Drive in Bella Vista, where the two occupants fled from their disabled vehicle on foot.

“Both young men were quickly rounded up and apprehended,” said Ogden.

SEE ALSO: Fake guns, real consequences, after recent Redding incidents

During a subsequent search of the Mercedes, officials located a loaded firearm, narcotics, and cash, according to Ogden; who said that due to the discovery of narcotics and the weapon, Shasta Interagency Narcotics Task Force (SINTF) agents will be interviewing the pair arrested before they are booked into jail on multiple charges related to the dangerous incident.

Ogden said no further information was available for release at the time of this report and more information will be provided once it becomes available.

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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 (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

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.