Man in stolen vehicle fires on police, killed in return fire

“On 4/6/2021 at approximately 1:00pm, a Redding Police Officer received a Lo-Jack hit of a stolen vehicle in the area of downtown Redding. The stolen vehicle was described as a 2004 White Ford F-250 pickup.

Several officers began checking the neighborhood in the area of Leland Ave. Officers located a vehicle matching the stolen vehicle’s description driving recklessly on Grange Street. The license plate on the stolen vehicle did not match and appeared to have been changed at some point after the vehicle was originally stolen.

Officers attempted a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle. The suspect vehicle failed to yield and a pursuit was initiated. The suspect vehicle drove southbound on Polk Street at a high rate of speed and turned westbound onto Ellis Street, failing to stop at the stop sign. Due to the safety of the public, the pursuit was terminated.

The suspect vehicle continued on Ellis Street and drove through a dirt lot of a business located in the 3400 block of South Market Street. Even after the pursuit was canceled, the suspect vehicle continued driving erratically. The suspect vehicle emerged onto Sutter Street, pulling out onto SR 273 and collided with a passenger car that was traveling northbound on SR273.

An adult female and two juveniles were in the passenger car that was struck by the suspect’s vehicle. The adult female and two juveniles were not injured. The suspect immediately fled from the Ford pickup and began running westbound towards Veda and Terrill Streets. The suspect was armed with a rifle.

Officers immediately gave chase, including one Traffic officer who was riding a motorcycle. During the chase of the suspect, the suspect fired several shots, directly towards one of the pursuing officers. Multiple other agencies began responding to assist. CHP Air Operations helicopter arrived overhead and began giving updates to officers.

The suspect ran southbound along the train tracks for approximately 200 yards and then turned around and began running back northbound along the railroad tracks. The suspect then ran across Railroad Ave approaching several businesses in the 3500 block of Railroad Ave. The suspect was still in possession of the rifle.

The suspect continued running in a northbound direction through a dirt lot near Court Street and was approaching several occupied residences. At this point, the suspect fired another round from the rifle near a residence in the 3500 block of Court Street. The suspect continued running along Court Street, crossed Grandview Avenue and approached a citizen’s vehicle parked on the east curb line of Court street.

The driver’s door of the citizen’s vehicle was open, but it was unknown if it was occupied. The suspect approached the open driver’s door and fired another round from the rifle into the air. At this time, one Redding Police Officer fired at the suspect using his department-issued patrol rifle. The suspect was hit and fell to the ground. Officers were able to take the suspect into custody and rendered medical aid. Medical personnel who were on the scene pronounced the suspect deceased. The suspect’s identity will be released at a later date.

During the course of the initial investigation, an unidentified female fled from the passenger seat of the suspect vehicle after the collision. Investigators are currently following up on leads as to her identity and whereabouts. This investigation is ongoing and if anyone has any information, they are urged to contact the Redding Police Detective Division at 530-225-4200.

The Redding Police Department activated the Multi-Agency Critical Incident Protocol and is working in conjunction with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, Shasta County District Attorney’s Office, Anderson Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol.”