Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office deputies are pursuing a suspect in Redwood Valley after a simple stop associated with expired registration tags resulted in the driver fleeing. The subject was reportedly on the back patio of 3351 Road J in Redwood Valley and then found a canoe, capsized the canoe, and has gotten back in the craft. The suspect is reportedly “refusing commands.”
Scanner traffic indicates the suspect was driving a silver 2005 Ford Focus fleeing deputies for approximately fifteen minutes through the rural roads of Redwood Valley including East Road and Road J. The suspect reportedly bailed on foot wearing white shorts and a Raiders jacket and was running through vineyards near a “turquoise-looking house.”
UPDATE 11:38 p.m.: The suspect is currently surrounded by law enforcement, in the middle of the pond, a deputy on scene told the dispatcher.
UPDATE 12:15 p.m.: A water rescue is underway for the suspect in the canoe.
UPDATE 12:22 p.m.: According to the Incident Commander, “[The suspect] says he’s going to flip the boat and says he can’t swim.”
UPDATE 1:55 p.m.: Scanner traffic indicates the incident has been terminated and both Redwood Valley Fire and Ukiah Valley Fire are now available.
Please remember that this story is unfolding. Information is being reported as we gather it. However, some of the information coming from witnesses and initial official reports could be wrong. We will do our best to get the facts but, in the case that something is inaccurate, we will update with correct information as soon as we can.
