Nearly $1M Dumped On Side Of Road During Central Valley CHP Chase

LOS BANOS, Merced County (CBS / AP) — Nearly $1 million in cash was dumped on a Central Valley road during a police chase that ended with the arrests of two New York men who apparently planned to buy marijuana with the money, the California Highway Patrol said.

Frank Capraro, 23, and Desmond McDay, 25, both of Medford, were arrested Friday evening, the Merced Sun-Star reported.

It wasn't immediately clear whether they had obtained lawyers.

The chase began shortly before 6:30 p.m. when a CHP officer tried to stop one of three black SUVs that appeared to be traveling together on Interstate 5 south of Los Banos in Merced County, authorities said.

During the chase, one SUV straddled lanes to block the patrol car, which maneuvered around it and kept chasing the first car, a Chevrolet Suburban.

A police K-9 sits next to nearly $1 million in cash that was dumped off the side of the road during a police chase in Merced County on May 1, 2020. Two people were arrested in connection with the case. (CHP Merced)

The Suburban stopped on the shoulder of the road at one point and the driver got out, dumped two cardboard boxes and then took off again before finally stopping for good, the CHP said.

The driver of the Suburban and a second SUV that was stopped in traffic were both taken into custody but the SUV that had tried to block the officer escaped, authoritides said.

The cardboard boxes contained $915,000 in cash, and a police dog alerted to the odor of drugs on the money, authorities said.

Officers also found walkie-talkies that the drivers apparently had been using to communicate during the chase, the CHP said.

© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.