Lodi Police and the California Highway Patrol pursued a suspect in a stolen vehicle from Lodi all the way to San Andreas on Saturday evening. The pursuit ended when the driver, 36-year-old Jeffrey Bishop of Lodi, crashed into a plane at a municipal airport in San Andreas, according to the Lodi Police Department.
Officer Ryan LaRue located a reported stolen vehicle near the Downtown area at 11:15 p.m. When he attempted to begin a traffic stop of the vehicle, the driver fled at a high rate of speed, Lodi police said. The driver headed east on Lockeford Street and then headed out into the county area east down Victor Road and Highway 12.
When officers left the city limits they called in for backup from CHP, Lodi Police Lt. Fernando Martinez said. However CHP officers were already engaged in another pursuit. They arrived when Bishop had reached the Valley Springs area. Lodi police returned to the city, except for one K-9 officer.
After 26 minutes in the pursuit, the car, a 2012 Dodge Avenger, missed a turn and went off the shoulder, hitting several fences and flipping onto its roof after striking a plane, police said.
One of the passengers sustained life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to an area hospital, Lodi police said. On Monday, the passenger had been in surgery and was stable.
Bishop was arrested on suspicion of felony evasion with injury, driving under the influence of drugs and vehicle theft. He was booked into the Lodi City Jail.
Source: http://www.lodinews.com