#ICYMI is a roundup of notable incidents involving the California Highway Patrol, which recently included several high intensity cases. Among them were a suspected DUI driver rescued from a submerged vehicle by a quick-thinking CHP officer, a Ventura County man arrested in connection with a violent road rage incident, CHP officers arresting a heavily armed freeway shooting suspect in Madera, a successful aerial rescue in a child abduction case, and a reported reduction in crime in Oakland.
Creek Rescue
A Stockton CHP officer jumped into action to rescue a suspected impaired driver after their vehicle was submerged in a creek. On June 7, CHP received multiple 9-1-1 calls about a car that had gone across all lanes of southbound Interstate 5, north of Hammer Lane, and off the roadway. Initially, the responding officers were unable to locate the vehicle and began checking the roadway for physical evidence and spotted the vehicle partially submerged in the water on White Slough. Officers Brown and Lee could hear someone inside the vehicle, pounding on the right front window. Officer Brown made the quick decision to jump in, and Officer Lee tossed him a baton to break the window and pull the driver to safety. The driver was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence.
Arrest In Freeway Stabbing
Investigators from the CHP’s Coastal Division Investigative Services Unit arrested a suspect in connection with a road rage incident that led to a stabbing on State Route 23 in Ventura County. On June 4, CHP officers responded to an altercation on SR-23 at Avenida De Los Arboles. When officers arrived, they found a 65-year-old man with multiple stab wounds in the center median of the freeway. Paramedics transported him to the hospital for treatment. In the following days, CHP investigators conducted an extensive investigation into the incident. Based on their findings, a suspect was identified and arrested June 10. The 30-year-old man from Thousand Oaks was booked on charges of attempted murder and held on $500,000 bail.
Highway 99 Shots Fired
CHP officers arrested a man after multiple shots were fired from a vehicle on Highway 99 near Madera. On June 9, officers were called out to Highway 99 for reports of a man firing a rifle and handgun out of a car. A quick response and teamwork from Fresno and Madera Area CHP officers led to the safe arrest of an armed individual who is now facing multiple gun charges. Thankfully, no one was struck by the gunfire and a deadly situation was averted.
Safe Recovery Of Abducted Child
On June 7, CHP helicopter H-20 assisted in a multi-agency operation led by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Department to recover a three-year-old child who was the subject of an AMBER Alert. The boy had been abducted by his mother, following an alleged assault on the child’s father. The mother and child were found by Cal OES Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System Program 12, which maintained surveillance until Nevada County search and rescue (SAR) personnel arrived. Once the SAR team secured the child, H-20 extracted him from the Yuba River Canyon and transported him to a nearby landing zone, where he was checked by medical personnel and reunited with his father. His mother was arrested by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Department on multiple felony charges.
Updated Crime Stats
Following a recent announcement from Oakland officials showing a reduction in nearly all types of crime since last year, a June 11 news release from the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom highlighted the CHP’s most recent results from the ongoing East Bay crime suppression operation. Since February 2024, the CHP has recovered 887 stolen vehicles, seized 47 crime-linked firearms, and arrested 440 suspects linked to organized crime, carjackings, and other crimes. The announcement comes on the heels of recent data released by the Oakland Police Department that reports a 33 percent drop in crime compared to the same time last year.
