Sonora Area CHP Image
Tuolumne County, CA – A high-speed chase that started in Columbia and headed towards Twain Harte had to be called off due to the weather and a fence.
The pursuit happened on Wednesday around 2:30 p.m. on Jackson Road in Columbia and then onto Italian Bar Road. After inquiries from Clarke Broadcasting regarding the chase, CHP spokesperson Officer Steve Machado reported that it began when an officer tried to pull over a Chevy Tahoe SUV for an expired registration. The driver took off, and the officer followed.
The pursuit reached speeds of over 65 mph as it winded its way towards Jupiter. At that time, additional forces, including a CHP helicopter and Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Deputies, were called in. Machado also noted that spike strips were deployed on Italian Bar Road in Columbia in case the driver circled back and on South Fork Confidence Road in the Twain Harte area. However, the driver and his two passengers never rolled over the strips. Instead, the SUV went around a fence, blocking a dirt road. Machado says the pursuing vehicles could not do the same without damaging their vehicles, ending the chase.
The helicopter continued to track the SUV for a short time and then was called off due to bad weather. The suspects remain on the loose as the case remains under investigation.
Written by Tracey Petersen.
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