Oroville man who fired shots at CHP officer after chase gets 85 years to life in prison
OROVILLE — An Oroville man with a history of high-speed chases and assaulting officers was sentenced to 85 years to life in prison for shooting at a California Highway Patrol officer following a chase that ended in Yuba County last year, authorities said Friday.
Aaron Tobias Quinn, 45, was convicted on January 31 of the attempted murder of a CHP officer and other charges including, transporting methamphetamine for sale, reckless evading and being a felon in possession of a gun.
It all happened on January 16, 2022. The CHP's Oroville division said an officer attempted to stop Quinn for speeding in the Oroville area. Quinn failed to yield and led a chase through several county roads across Butte and Yuba counties.
Quinn lost control and crashed the vehicle into a power pole along La Porte Road in Yuba County. He then got out of the car and, with a semi-automatic pistol, fired at least six shots at a CHP officer at the scene.
The Yuba County District Attorney's Office said Quinn only stopped firing because the gun jammed. The officer fired back, striking Quinn in the top of the head. The officer was not hit but his patrol vehicle was struck at least three times — once in the front-left tire, once through the windshield and once in the driver's instrument panel, just inches away from the officer.
Prosecutors said Quinn was found to be transporting 1.5 pounds of meth during the pursuit.
Quinn's past incidents with authorities include a 2007 pursuit that saw him drive a Ford F-250 into the wrong lanes of traffic straight into the path of a patrol car. That officer was able to avoid being hit, but Quinn later rammed into an unmarked vehicle driven by a retired Oroville police chief.
The retired chief was pinned inside the vehicle and suffered injuries in the collision.
