Shady figures, transactions gone awry and high-speed car chases. These prototypical pillars of nearly every gunfire-laden, explosion-filled action flick were elements in a recent California sneaker sale.
Police in Redding, California responded to a robbery call in the south part of town. En route to the call, responding officers gained situational awareness of the victim chasing the alleged perpetrators. Victim , 19-year-old Anthony Larson of Redding and his family , in two separate vehicles pursued the suspect from Redding to Anderson, CA, a distance of approximately 12 miles.
The police investigation uncovered that 19-year–old Austin Ryan Alexander of Eureka, CA along with a 15-year-old, who also hails from Eureeka, made arrangements to purchase Nike sneakers from Larson. The victim and alleged robbers agreed upon a meeting point in south Redding. At the meeting, the suspect desired to inspect the shoes, to which Larson agreed. While inspecting the shoes, the two robbers quickly got into their car and drove off. He was soon followed by Larson and his family members in two separate vehicles. At one point during this chase, the victim family actually managed to box the suspect vehicle in, however in something out of an action movie, the rammed both vehicles and continued their escape.
The chase/escape ended when the robbers arrived in Anderson, California and Anderson police conducted a traffic stop on all of the vehicles involved.
Alexander was then arrested and booked into the Shasta County Jail and charged with robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. The 15-year-old was cited and released to a relative. No injuries were suffered, the stolen shoes were recovered and the vehicles involved received only minor damage.
An excerpt from a press release the Redding Police Department urges the public to use the Community Meet-Up locations.
The Redding Police Department would like to remind citizens that Community Meet Up Spots exist at the Redding Police Department that allow for the safe exchange of internet based purchases. The parking spots are painted green and marked with green signs. They can be found on the east side of the Redding Police Department building at 777 Cypress Avenue. The spaces are covered by video surveillance for additional user safety.
