Siskiyou deputy who witnessed violent highway-side carjacking pursues stolen vehicle, arrests suspect
YREKA, Calif., — Authorities say a deputy who witnessed a violent carjacking in progress alongside Interstate 5 in Yreka ended up pursuing an SUV pulling a second vehicle on a trailer for several miles before taking the suspected carjacker into custody early Monday evening, Feb. 21.
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Tuesday’s incident began around 5:40 p.m., when a Siskiyou County sheriff’s deputy was traveling southbound on I-5 south of Easy Street and observed a Chevy SUV that was towing another vehicle parked next to a third vehicle along the side of the highway and partially blocking the roadway.
As he neared the vehicles and pulled over, the deputy saw two men engaged in a violent physical confrontation and witnessed the men continuing to fight as they got into the driver’s seat of the Chevy.
Before the deputy could stop the pair, the SUV and trailer sped off, even as the struggle for control of the vehicle continued.
With the violent fight continuing and the vehicle speeding southbound on I-5, the deputy initiated a vehicle pursuit and requested additional resources to assist in the dangerous chase.
The deputy continued pursuing the vehicle as it reached speeds of 80 mph until the SUV and trailer yielded south of Grenada, where both men were detained for further investigation.
During his subsequent investigation, the deputy determined the victim had been traveling south on Interstate 5 in his Chevy SUV with attached and loaded trailer when a man in a second vehicle, later identified as 29-year-old Jade Eric Miley, flagged him down.
When the victim stopped on the side of the roadway Miley confronted him, claiming that the vehicle being towed by the Chevy belonged to him, according to officials, who said the trailered vehicle was ultimately confirmed to belong to the victim.
“The situation escalated when Miley attempted to forcibly steal the Chevy and the vehicle it was towing, which led to a physical altercation,” officials went on to explain.
Refusing to allow his two vehicles to be stolen, the victim continued to fight with Miley even after Miley got into the SUV’s driver’s seat in an attempt to steal it.
With Miley having control of the Chevy and the victim struggling to get control of the vehicle back, Miley violently fought back against the victim, at one point biting the victim causing a significant injury.
Despite being bitten and beaten during the struggle, the victim was eventually able to wrestle back control of the SUV, at which time he pulled to the side of the freeway.
Based on their investigation, officials arrested Miley. He was later booked into the Siskiyou County Jail on suspicion of several felonies including carjacking, robbery, false imprisonment, mayhem, felony evading of a peace officer, and assault causing great bodily injury.
Online jail records indicate Miley remains in custody in lieu of $100,000 bail or bond.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 51, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and operates Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS), which act as stringer-news providers for other mainstream media organizations throughout the two regions they serve.
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.