Wow. Nuts.
http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_12357923
http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_12357923
High speed chase after reported marijuana deal goes bad
Sean Garmire/The Times-Standard
WILLOW CREEK -- It was a drug deal gone wrong, police say.
On Monday night, two men fled from a police convoy driving on State Route 299. According to officials, they wore body armor and fired at police cars with an AK-47 assault rifle through the windows of a gold Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The high speed chase ended after more than 30 minutes with 21-year-old Humboldt County resident David Fields dead of a gunshot wound to the head, and a 19-year-old suspect from Antioch airlifted to a Redding hospital with the same type of injury, Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Brenda Godsey said.
According to Godsey, shortly before 11 p.m., eight people met in the intersection of School Road and Anderson Avenue -- a residential neighborhood in McKinleyville.
Godsey said six of those people had arranged to sell 14 pounds of marijuana to the two men.
At some point during the meeting, Godsey said one of the buyers walked to the Jeep and returned carrying an assault rifle. The second buyer then reportedly took out a hand gun, and the two men ordered the group of six to lie on the street while they took the marijuana.
As the two suspects drove away, they reportedly fired several shots from their vehicle. None of the sellers were injured in the incident.
Those shots were reported to police dispatchers, and Godsey said within minutes another caller reported seeing a passenger inside a vehicle matching the same description waving a weapon out of their car window
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on Giuntoli Lane in Arcata.
The gold Jeep was located by a deputy traveling east on State Route 299. The deputy pursued the vehicle until backup arrived, at which time he attempted a traffic stop. However, the driver reportedly did not yield and accelerated the vehicle.
After about five miles, the Jeep's passenger reportedly fired three or four shots at the deputies behind them, then fired several more times. According to Godsey, the suspects shot the assault rifle at least six or more times at the officers, shooting between two and four rounds each time.
According to scanner traffic broadcast during the incident, repeatedly during the pursuit whenever the Jeep made a right turn, exposing the passenger side of the vehicle to the pursuing police, the passenger would fire through the window.
Throughout the entire incident, no one but the suspects were shot, and no member of law enforcement fired a weapon, Godsey said.
California Highway Patrol officers waiting alongside the highway near Willow Creek set out a spike strip across the road. As the Jeep passed by, its passenger reportedly began firing at the CHP officers, hitting two of their cruisers.
At around 11:45 p.m., the Jeep, damaged by the spike strip, continued on 299 at high speeds for about three-fourths of a mile until it reached a large gravel turnout in the highway overlooking a deep ravine. The vehicle reportedly drove straight through the turnout and over a small dirt embankment and rolled 130 feet down the hill before coming to rest against a patch of young evergreens.
On Tuesday morning, there were no obvious signs the vehicle had slowed before striking the embankment. According to California Highway Patrol spokesman Paul Dahlen, investigators found “no physical evidence they were trying to avoid going the direction they were going.”
Sheriff's deputies following the Jeep stopped in the turnout, and police began securing the area. Scanner traffic indicated deputies called for thermal imaging equipment, portable lights and search dogs, not knowing whether the suspects were still inside the vehicle.
After a short time, an officer reportedly spotted one of the vehicle's occupants, a 19-year-old man, slowly climbing back up over the embankment, wearing a bullet-proof vest and bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound to his head.
According to scanner traffic the bullet wound was just under the man's chin, and appeared to be self-inflicted. He was alert and responsive, and reportedly told police at the scene he had attempted to kill himself.
Fields was found dead inside the vehicle. He appeared to have been shot in the side of the head, said Assistant Coroner Frank Jager.
The surviving suspect was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. According to Jager, the man was later flown to Mercy Medical Center in Redding.
Dahlen, and Sheriff's Office investigators at the scene, said they do not know whether the shots were fired before or after the vehicle rolled off the road.
”We don't know if they had self-inflicted wounds, or if there was something else going on in that vehicle,” Godsey said. “We're still so early in the investigation.”
During an early search of the wreck scene, investigators reported finding two large plastic bags filled with processed marijuana near the Jeep.
According to Jager, Fields was a Humboldt County resident but it was unclear exactly where he lived. He worked in construction until about one year ago.
The surviving suspect has not been arrested or charged, Godsey said, though he remains under law enforcement supervision at the Redding hospital. The 19-year-old suspect's name has not been released as he had not been charged with a crime by press time.
Godsey said the six people who attempted to sell the marijuana in McKinleyville have been identified and interviewed, and have been very cooperative with police. It is not yet certain whether they will be charged, Godsey said. She said investigators have yet to complete their reports.
According to Godsey, once police complete their reports, they will be sent to the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office, where prosecuting attorneys will decide whether to file charges against any of the six.
”Right now they're the victims of this crime, so we're not going to talk much about them,” Godsey said. “We're still interviewing them and encouraging them to cooperate.”
By Tuesday afternoon, the body of the deceased man remained inside the Jeep as a team of investigators searched the scene and the roadway. Some officers walked the margins of the highway looking for spent casings and other pieces of evidence.
Godsey said the investigation is still in its early stages, and more information will likely be released as the case develops.
Sean Garmire can be reached at 441-0514 or sgarmire@times-standard.com.
