CHP Scooter Pursuit Lands Driver In Jail
Sonora, CA – A scooter driver who set off a police chase was arrested on multiple charges, including DUI.
CHP Sonora Unit spokesperson Officer Steve Macado recounts the recent early evening incident, which occurred after a CHP officer, stopped in heavy traffic on eastbound Highway 108 near Wheeler Road, saw a gray 2016 Vespa scooter travel over double-yellow lines to pass the stalled traffic.
Attempting to stop the scooter, the officer activated his patrol vehicle’s emergency lights. However, the driver, 61-year-old Tom Fredrickson of Sonora, accelerated and a pursuit ensued.
According to Officer Macado, “Mr. Fredrickson continued to drive recklessly into oncoming traffic at speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour nearly causing a crash.”
The officer shares that the pursuit lasted for a few minutes before Fredrickson brought his vehicle to a stop on the right shoulder but as the officer was placing him under arrest, he began to become combative to the point where the officer had to use his taser after which the suspect was taken into custody.
Macado adds, “It was determined that Mr. Fredrickson was driving while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage. He was taken to Adventist Health Sonora for precautionary reasons and booked into the Tuolumne County Jail for felony evading, resisting arrest and DUI.” He was assigned a $50,000 bond.
