Man allegedly stands off with authorities from paddleboat in middle of pond
A Redwood Valley man has been arrested on suspicion of felony evading, as well as two outstanding warrants, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
On the late morning of June 20, a patrol deputy attempted an enforcement stop on a silver Ford Sedan on the 7000 block of East Road in Redwood Valley. The driver, later identified as 22-year-old Nathan Werkerishna Feliz, immediately took off northbound, thus initiating a pursuit that occasionally crossed into oncoming traffic and reached up to 100 miles per hour, the Sheriff’s Office said.
At one point Feliz reportedly collided with a tree, but continued driving before making a U-turn and heading back the way he’d come.
Feliz ultimately abandoned the vehicle after attempting and failing to drive it through a vineyard. From there he continued on foot to a large property with a pond behind the house, where Feliz found a paddleboat. Feliz reportedly got into the paddleboat and paddled his way out, at one point falling into the pond but managing to get back into the boat.
After an approximately-two-hour standoff, Feliz’s boat capsized and he swam to shore. He was then taken into custody without further incident.
He was booked on suspicion of felony evading, as well as his two warrants which were for the alleged possession and manufacturing of assault weapons. His bail has been set at $210,000.
