11-year-old minivan driver in Northern California crashes after avoiding traffic stop, CHP reports
An 11-year-old driving a minivan recklessly north of Sacramento lost control and crashed in a rainstorm after evading a traffic stop, the California Highway Patrol said.
The CHP said the incident began Saturday at about 10:42 a.m. just north of Oroville in Butte County, about 70 miles north of Sacramento. In a social media post, the CHP Oroville office said it received multiple reports of a reckless driver on southbound State Route 99 just north of State Route 149. Callers told the CHP the silver minivan was traveling at varying speeds and weaving within all lanes.
Officers located the vehicle on southbound SR-149 and attempted to pull it over, but the driver sped away toward southbound SR-70. Officers ended their pursuit of the vehicle because of the stormy conditions, the CHP said.
At 11:40 a.m., police in Chico - about 27 miles northeast of Oroville - contacted the CHP and said the driver of the vehicle was an 11-year-old minor as reported by the minor's guardian, the CHP said. About seven minutes later the CHP received additional calls about the minor once again driving southbound on SR-149 towards SR-70 into Oroville.
Officers were positioned at the Garden Drive exit off SR-70 and when the vehicle exited at Garden Drive, officers tried to communicate with the minor on the offramp, the CHP said. The minor momentarily stopped but sped away again, the CHP said, and officers followed the vehicle at speeds of approximately 50 mph without lights or sirens " to avoid alarming the minor and provoking a high-speed flight," the CHP said in the social media post.
"Additionally, officers were not actively pursuing the minor in the interest of their and the public's safety and were only following to monitor the minor's whereabouts as there was no possible way at the time to communicate with the minor," the CHP said.
After exiting SR-70 at the next exit, the vehicle eventually drove through a heavily flooded section of the roadway at about 60 miles per hour and overturned. Officers removed the front windshield of the minivan to rescue the minor, who was not visibly injured and was wearing a seatbelt, the CHP said. Medics took the minor to a local hospital as a precaution.
No other injuries or damage was reported. The CHP Oroville Area Office was investigating the circumstances of the incident. It did not immediately disclose any additional information.