Police chase smashes innocent

Police chase smashes innocent

By Scott Bransford/Appeal-Democrat

A woman was seriously hurt Sunday when a Marysville police car collided with her vehicle during a high-speed chase through Yuba City, officials reported.

The crash took place at 2 p.m. at the intersection of Gray and McMullen avenues near April Lane School. Maria Mejia of Yuba City, who was not a suspect in the pursuit, suffered at least one broken leg, said Lt. Bill Ollar of the Yuba City Police Department.

Shawn Scott, the police officer involved in the crash, sustained minor injuries, said Ollar, whose department is investigating the incident.

The object of the pursuit was 21-year-old Justin Allen Grooms, a parolee who is a suspect in a March 16 robbery and carjacking in Linda. Despite the crash, officers succeeded in arresting Grooms in a walnut orchard south of Yuba City.

One witness called the pursuit a risky tactic that showed a need for limits on high-speed chases, but Lt.

Mark Cummings of the Marysville Police Department said officers were chasing someone who posed a direct threat to residents.

Grooms, also wanted on a warrant from Sacramento County, was considered armed and dangerous at the time of the chase, Cummings said.

"If you don't stop these individuals, you can guarantee they will commit more crimes, perhaps more vicious crimes, with impunity," Cummings said in a written statement.

Police initially spotted Grooms at 14th and E streets in Marysville. Driving a blue minivan, he reached speeds up to 100 miles per hour while leading several patrol vehicles through rural and residential areas of Yuba City, Ollar said.

Officers later arrested Grooms on a farm near Township and Tudor roads. They also took into custody an 18-year-old woman from Yuba City and a 22-year-old woman from Marysville who were riding with him, Ollar said, but their names were unavailable late Sunday.

The crash involving the Marysville patrol car took place about halfway through the chase. Two other collisions occurred during the pursuit, Ollar said, but no other injuries were reported.

Ollar said Mejia was driving northbound on Gray Avenue north of Queens Avenue as Scott's car approached her from behind with red lights and siren on. Mejia, driving a black Honda Accord, attempted to turn left onto McMullen Avenue just as the officer attempted to pass her on the left, Ollar said.

Scott's car struck the Honda on the driver's side, pushing it into bushes lining the sidewalk in front of the nearby Gray Avenue church.

"I thought it was thunder at first," said nearby resident Lillian Uren, describing the sound of the crash.

Residents and churchgoers gathered near the scene to watch firefighters free Mejia from the car with the Jaws of Life, an extrication tool. A helicopter later landed at nearby April Lane School to take her to Sutter Roseville Medical Center for treatment.

A woman riding with Mejia suffered minor injuries, Ollar said. Her name and age could not be confirmed as of late Sunday.

Andrea Ramirez, Mejia's 30-year-old sister-in-law, expressed shock at the accident, saying the chase "could have killed somebody."

Wheatland resident Greg Lau was visiting family when he came upon the accident seconds after it occurred. He believes the chase put neighborhood residents at risk.

"They should have backed off and let it go," said Lau, 49.

Lau said he would support SB 718, a California Senate bill by Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, that would regulate high-speed chases.

Cummings said there may be disadvantages to the legislation. He said he supports legislation that "substantially increases the penalties" for fleeing police at high speeds.

"High-speed pursuits are inherently dangerous, not only to the public, but to the officers who may have to give their own lives to stop these criminals," Cummings said.

Ollar expressed concern over Sunday's accident but also said he opposes Aanestad's bill. He said Grooms was "an absolute threat to public safety in the Yuba-Sutter area."

"Unfortunately, there are going to be times when the police have to pursue," Ollar said.

Grooms was in custody at the Yuba County Jail late Sunday in lieu of $100,000 bail. A condition report on Mejia was unavailable.

Appeal-Democrat reporter Scott Bransford can be reached at 749-4713. You may e-mail him at sbransford@appeal-democrat.com.