Highway Patrol: A week full of intensive operations

#ICYMI is a roundup of notable incidents involving the California Highway Patrol, including several recent high-intensity cases. These included a suspected drunk driver rescued from a submerged vehicle by a quick-thinking CHP officer, a Ventura County man arrested in connection with a violent DUI incident, CHP officers apprehending a heavily armed suspect who had fired shots on a Madera freeway, a successful aerial rescue in a child abduction case, and a reported drop in crime in Oakland.

Rescue from the stream

A CHP officer in Stockton rushed to rescue a suspected drunk driver whose vehicle was submerged in a creek. On June 7, the CHP received multiple 911 calls about a car that had crossed all lanes and run off the road on southbound Interstate 5 north of Hammer Lane. Officers who responded to the call were initially unable to locate the vehicle and began searching the road for evidence. They discovered the vehicle partially submerged in water at White Slough. Officers Brown and Lee could hear someone inside the vehicle banging on the right front window. Officer Brown made a spur of the moment decision to jump in, and Officer Lee threw him a baton to break the window and pull the driver to safety. The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Arrest after stabbing on motorway

Investigators with the CHP’s Coastal Division Investigative Services Unit arrested a suspect in connection with a road rage incident that resulted in 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 median of the highway. Paramedics transported him to the hospital for treatment. Over the next few days, CHP investigators conducted a comprehensive investigation into the incident. Based on their findings, a suspect was identified and arrested on June 10. The 30-year-old Thousand Oaks man was charged with attempted murder and held on $500,000 bail.

Shots fired on Highway 99

CHP officers arrested a man after multiple shots were fired from a vehicle on Highway 99 near Madera. On June 9, officers were called to Highway 99 for a report of a man firing a rifle and pistol from a car. Thanks to a quick response and teamwork by CHP officers from Fresno and Madera, an armed man was safely arrested and is now facing multiple weapons charges. Fortunately, no one was hit by the shots and a deadly situation was averted.

Safe return of a kidnapped child

On June 7, CHP helicopter H-20 assisted in a multi-agency operation led by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Department to rescue a three-year-old child who was the subject of an AMBER alert. The boy had been abducted by his mother after the child’s father was allegedly assaulted. The mother and child were located by Cal OES Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System Program 12, which maintained surveillance until Nevada County Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel arrived. After the SAR team secured the child, H-20 retrieved him from the Yuba River Canyon and transported him to a nearby landing zone where he was evaluated by medical personnel and reunited with his father. His mother was arrested by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Department on several serious felonies.

Updated crime statistics

Following a recent announcement by Oakland authorities that nearly all types of crime have declined since last year, a June 11 press release from Governor Gavin Newsom’s office highlighted the latest results of the ongoing East Bay crime-fighting operation. Since February 2024, the CHP has recovered 887 stolen vehicles, seized 47 crime-related firearms, and arrested 440 suspects in connection with organized crime, auto thefts, and other crimes. The announcement follows recent data from Oakland Police reporting a 33 percent decrease in crime compared to the same period last year.