Abandoned by wanted felon after fiery pursuit-related wreck, officers rescue seriously injured passenger from burning vehicle
REDDING, Calif., — Authorities say a local man is lucky to be alive after being left seriously injured and trapped inside a burning car after a wanted felon crashed while fleeing from officers last night, Friday, March 11. The driver who abandoned his passenger, leaving him in the burning and overturned vehicle with a broken back and other major injuries, was later apprehended and booked into jail on multiple felony charges as well as his warrants.
Two officers have since been credited with the dramatic rescue and possibly saving the victim’s life after the pursuit-related crash, which happened in the area of Twin View Boulevard and Valleyridge Drive, near N. Market Street / Hwy. 273.
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Redding Police Department has since reported that at around 10:30 p.m., a City of Redding police officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop in the area of Boulder Creek and N. Boulder drives.
The vehicle was being driven by a wanted felon with multiple felony warrants, since identified as Joshua Leroy Blackwood, 37, of Redding, who refused to yield and fled from officers, Redding Police Corporal Ferrin later said of the incident and arrest.
A pair of Redding police officers, since identified as Officers Lensing and Dalby, have been credited with saving a man’s life after pulling the seriously injured victim from a car that burst into flames after crashing down an embankment and into a tree last night. Redding PD photo
“Before officers could catch up to Blackwood, he drove the vehicle through a fence and down the embankment that separates Twin View Boulevard from North Market Street,” Ferring explained, saying the vehicle overturned about 30 to 40 feet down an embankment into a creek, where it burst into flames.
Abandoning the burning vehicle and his seriously injured passenger, Blackwood fled into a nearby greenbelt.
Arriving at the scene moments later, Officers Lensing and Dalby ignored the immediate danger to their own lives and pulled the victim from the blaze to safety, according to Ferrin.
With the passenger rescued, Redding Firefighters soon arrived and quickly extinguished the vehicle fire before the flames could spread to nearby vegetation.
The man pulled from the vehicle, Justin Barnes, 32, of Redding was transported by ground ambulance as a Trauma Alert patient to Mercy Medical Center. His condition has not since been updated.
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Blackwood was eventually found hiding amidst heavy brush about thirty minutes later and was arrested without further incident.
Joshua Blackwood, a Redding felon with multiple warrants, was arrested after fleeing the scene of a fiery wreck, leaving behind his seriously injured passenger. Redding PD photo
He was later booked into the Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of felony evading, felony evading resulting in great bodily injuries, hit and run resulting in injuries, and violation of parole. He was also booked on his outstanding warrants.
Online jail records indicate he remains in custody, where he is being held without bail.
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.
Justin was the passenger and also the registered owner of the vehicle. Justin had been drinking too much to drive and this POS drove him. Because he had warrants he decided he wasn’t going to stop when pulled over. He decided that his not going to jail for his warrants was more important then almost killing Justin.There is no words strong enough to express the gratitude to the officers that saved his life. Thank you from all the people that love him. Justin’s back was broken and he is going into surgery now