Kyle Ray Prather and a friend were out late Tuesday night, apparently doing some shopping at the 24-hour Walmart in Anderson, the Shasta County town just south of Redding along Interstate 5. It was after 1 am Wednesday morning when they were headed out. They were in a 2002 Subaru Forester, but the problem was that the car didn’t belong to either of them.
An Anderson police officer patrolling the area took notice of the small SUV riding through the area so late at night, and ran the license plate though the system. It came back as a stolen vehicle, so, according to an Anderson PD press release, the officer turned on the lights in the patrol vehicle to stop the car as the pair headed past the Shasta Factory Outlets mall, and under the freeway towards Locust Street. Prather, driving the Subaru and aware it was stolen, decided to make a run for it rather than surrender as a grand theft auto suspect.
Kyle Prather in his 2011 booking photo.
24-year-old Kyle Prather, who is identified as a transient but as recently as last month lived at a home in north Anderson, has a long history with area law enforcement. He has been arrested at least ten times in the past four years. His two most notable offenses were both of a violent nature. In April of 2011 he was charged with domestic violence – battery on a spouse or co-habitant, and child endangerment. Later that year, in August, he was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and battery resulting in injury. He has also been charged with drug offenses, contempt of court, and on warrants for failure to appear as scheduled in court.
As Prather fled in the stolen Subaru, the officer gave chase, and alerted dispatch of the high speed pursuit. Prather piloted the vehicle in excess of 100 miles per hour along the country roads, heading south down Locust and on to Panorama Point Road, weaving through lanes and running at least one stop sign. Shasta County Sheriff’s deputies, Redding Police, and the Highway Patrol Air Ops Helicopter responded to the area as well.
At one point, Prather tried a move he must have thought would disable the pursuing patrol car. Stopping in the middle of the road, he threw the car into reverse and floored it, trying to ram the police car. The officer was quite prepared for that move, throwing the patrol car into reverse as well, avoiding the collision and no doubt frustrating Prather’s attempt at a slick James Bond type move to escape.
It wouldn’t have done any good anyway, as several units were rapidly on their way to assist. But Prather continued on, headed down Lone Tree Road and onto Webb Road in rural Cottonwood. While traveling down the very narrow road, he finally lost it, running into a heavy metal gate and into a pasture. While his friend wisely stayed put in the car, Prather jumped out and made a run for it. Running through farmland is no easy task for even the best of athletes, but it is quite easy work for an eager and well trained police dog. A Redding Police K9 unit helped stop Prather from running too far, and he was soon in custody.
Kyle Ray Prather was arrested and booked into Shasta County Jail on charges of felony evading an officer, assault on an officer, possession of stolen property, and hit and run with injury. His friend, a 34-year-old man, suffered injuries to his knee and ribcage in the collision. He was initially detained, but was determined to not be liable for any violations, and was transported to the hospital for treatment. Additional charges against Prather, such as vehicle theft, may be added as the case is further investigated.
