REDDING – A drug deal between 3 men went bad on Thursday night, November 21st, and left a victim beaten and robbed of his money.
At 11:09 pm that Thursday night, an unidentified man met with two others at a hotel on Hilltop Drive. According to the Redding Police, at some point during the sale of marijuana, one of the sellers, 32-year-old Timothy Yakaitis, pulled out a handgun and held it on the buyer. His partner, 26-year-old Danny Wayne McKee, began punching the man in the face and head. They took his cash and left the scene.
The victim called police, and detectives were able to identify the two brutal drug dealers. Danny McKee was picked up on Tuesday afternoon on Chaparral Drive in the rural area west of Redding off Placer Road. He was booked into the Shasta County jail facing robbery and conspiracy charges. McKee has been arrested several times before this incident, for drugs and theft charges, including grand theft auto.
Danny McKee is accused of beating their victim before stealing his money.
McKee’s older partner,Yakaitis, of Shasta Lake City, tried to elude officers when they came for him. Believing him to be armed and dangerous, Redding police, County Sheriff’s deputies, and Corrections and Rehabilitation Special Service officers went for him at the same Hilltop Drive hotel. It was determined the Yakaitis was on AB109 post release supervision, the program that allows early prison release for non-violent criminals with probation like monitoring. He had been arrested in the county several times over the past 3 years for various drug, driving and weapons charges.
However, rather than shoot it out with this cadre of law enforcement officers, Yakaitis donned a long black wig and tried to get away unnoticed. It didn’t work, and officers gave chase, with Yakaitis tossing cash and drugs en route. His stash was picked up, and he was captured and arrested. He was booked at the county jail on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, burglary, robbery, conspiracy, resisting arrest, and violating his post release supervision terms. The DA will also be pursuing possession of narcotics for sale charges against him and McKee.
Tim Yakaitis in happier times from his Facebook page.
Read More:
redding.com: Police arrest suspects in drug deal turned robbery
KRCR: Drug dealer beaten and robbed during marijuana transaction
