What should of been just a mechanical stop for a tail light ended up being a high speed chase
A high-speed chase on Highway 395 Tuesday night, June 11th, resulted in the arrest of two individuals from Eugene, Oregon, after their stolen vehicle was stopped in Alturas, CA.
A deputy observed a vehicle with a tail light out around 11:30 p.m. in Likely and attempted to stop them. The vehicle, driven by Sebastian Bakari Vivens, 34, refused to stop and exceeded high speeds and turned onto a dirt side road in Likely before heading back towards Alturas in hopes of losing the deputy. The deputy found the vehicle had turned around and called in back up from a sergeant who deployed spike strips north of Jones Lane in Alturas to stop the vehicle. Modoc County Sheriff Tex Dowdy stated, “during the chase, speeds exceeded 100 miles per hour.” With how fast Vivens was going, once they had hit the spike strip the car only made it 200 yards before venturing right off the road.
The passenger, Arrianna Jaide Davis, 30, remained in the vehicle and was taken into custody. Vivens fled the scene immediately after the crash and fled into dark scenery. Once they had successfully stopped the vehicle, police found out the extent of Vivens and Davis’ criminal history. The California Highway Patrol was then alerted and a helicopter out of Redding assisted in the pursuit as well as additional law enforcement were brought in for search and rescue operations. An alert was issued to the public to be aware of the suspect. Due to the amount of ammunition in the vehicle police believed the suspect may have been armed.
The search went through the night until Vivens walked to the highway and surrendered near the crash site around 5:34 a.m. many hours later, visibly soaking wet. He exhibited signs of hypothermia and was subsequently treated and booked into the county jail.
Authorities confirmed the vehicle, a 2005 Acura, was reported stolen from Eugene on June 9. Both individuals have a criminal history, with Vivens known for weapon violations and other offenses. Davis is believed to have stolen the vehicle, according to the Eugene Police Department.
According to the owner of the Acura he had met with a woman to test drive the Acura vehicle but when the woman took the vehicle for a test drive she never returned.
Vivens was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, receiving stolen property, evading, felon in possession of a (prohibited) firearm, prohibited person in possession of ammunition, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Davis was also charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, receiving stolen property, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
This incident demonstrates the continued efforts of law enforcement to apprehend individuals involved in criminal activities and ensure our public safety.
