REDDING – A young man who has been in frequent trouble with the law was arrested once again after leading police on a chase and wrecking a stolen car, knocking down a utility pole, which closed traffic lanes in the early morning yesterday.
Monday night at 9:33, a Redding Police officer saw a vehicle traveling north on Waldon Street near Sonoma Street that he recognized as a stolen car. The officer followed the car and attempted a traffic stop. The driver of the car, 23-year-old Anthony Russell Taylor, did not pull over, but continued to drive north. According to a Redding PD press release, as he approached Gold Street he instead drove into the parking lot of a commercial building, lost control, and hit a utility pole at the railroad tracks just beyond.
Taylor concluded his chase with Redding Police at this parking lot and into the power poles beyond.
The collision caused the pole to break and power lines fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Taylor jumped out of the wrecked car and ran away on foot, apparently uninjured from the crash. He was apprehended soon, however, and arrested on charges of auto theft, possession of stolen property, and felony evading a peace officer. A crew from Union Pacific Railroad was summoned to the scene to repair the downed pole and power lines. Road closures were required for the safety of the public in the general area.
Anthony Russell Taylor has had an active relationship with law enforcement in recent years. When arrested he was out on AB109 post release supervision for a past conviction of possessing stolen property – a stolen car based on his history.
Originally from Auburn, in 2009 he was arrested in the town of Lincoln, near Auburn, for grand theft, accused of breaking into several vehicles and stealing property. Then in October of 2011 he was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, and while released pending his hearing, he was arrested again within a week driving yet another stolen car.
Taylor’s more recent adventures have followed his release on AB109 supervision. On December 30 of 2013 he was arrested in Redding for possession of methamphetamine, then on January 9 he was arrested for stealing property from the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Redding. Back to bigger and better targets, on January 17 he was arrested driving a stolen Dodge Pickup truck in nearby Anderson. He also reportedly had meth on him at that time and was charged with bringing it into the jail. Finally, just last week, on March 8 he was arrested for receiving stolen property and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person.
Perhaps this latest arrest and the costly damage caused will result in a much longer term in prison, as he has shown he has a difficult time keeping away from other people’s vehicles.
Read More:
Redding.com: Police: man nabbed three times in three weeks
