Ending High-Speed Chase, Car Thief Jumps Off Bridge
YOLO – A high-speed chase led police from Woodland and other agencies in pursuit of a stolen Lexus along a rural Yolo County road on June 4, 2013. It all started on a quiet suburban street in East Woodland. A Woodland Police Officer on patrol caught sight of and recognized Quentin Michael Ray Lee, 26, who was wanted for violating Yolo County Probation Department regulations. Ray was driving the Lexus near the intersection of Tide Court and Pioneer Avenue.
Police apprehend assailant, stolen vehicle (above)
The uniformed officer checked the 1992 Lexus’s license plates on the Department of Motor Vehicles’ database and discovered its Davis owner had reported it stolen just the day before.
The Woodland police officer followed and signaled Lee to halt on northbound Road 102. Next, according a statement issued by Woodland Police Sgt. Frank Ritter, Lee is alleged to have accelerated north along Road 102 in a desperate attempt to elude capture.
The Woodland patrol officer gave chase until, apparently, Lee found that the pursuit had become perhaps a bit too hot.
Lee came to a halt on the narrow confines of the draw bridge that crosses the Sacramento River at Knight’s Landing. Exiting the Lexus, he leaped from the bridge into the cooler water of the Sacramento River. California Highway Patrol officers in the area also were deployed to assist in Lee’s capture. The river runs approximately twenty feet under the bridge. Lee was peacefully re-arrested after swimming a few feet downriver.
Major law enforcement resources were deployed to capture Lee. In addition to ground vehicles, a CHP helicopter was dispatched, but returned to base due to Lee’s quick and efficient capture on the riverbank.
Lee is currently lodged in the Yolo County Jail in Woodland on charges of resisting arrest and auto theft in addition to the original probation violation charge. The Lexus was returned to its owner.
Fox 40: Man Leads Woodland Police on Chase, Jumps off Bridge
News 10: Police pursuit suspect busted after jumping in river
Davis Enterprise: Man Leaps from Bridge in Attempt to Elude Police
