A multi-agency manhunt is underway in Butte County after a known felon, George Wright, gave deputies the slip following a car chase that ended with a crash on Saturday morning. Wright, reportedly 25 years old, fled on foot after his attempted escape in a red GMC pickup truck led him to crash into a gate and attempt an ill-fated drive off a retaining wall, which immobilized his vehicle, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office informed.
According to a report by KRCR TV, the incident unfolded just after 6 a.m. near Table Mountain Boulevard and Cherokee Road a deputy recognized Wright, who was associated with numerous felony arrest warrants related to previous incidents of evading law enforcement and illegal firearms possession, the chase ensued after Wright rammed into a gate on Big-O Road before his vehicle was rendered inoperable. In the ensuing chaos, Wright managed to dart away escaping into wooded seclusion, leaving authorities to canvass the territory by foot and with helicopter support but they came up empty-handed.
The search of Wright's truck turned up both ammunition and methamphetamine, leading to the swift issuance of another arrest warrant—this time for felony evading, vandalism, illegal ammunition possession, and a misdemeanor drug charge, reported the Chico Enterprise-Record. Officials are seeking the public’s help, and anyone with information on Wright’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Butte County Sheriff’s Office at 530-538-7322.
In a statement to Action News Now, the Sheriff’s Office detailed how their pursuit took off after Wright, known to be a prohibited person in possession of guns and ammunition, ignored orders to stop and sped away, leading the deputies on a car chase that concluded with his vehicle incapacitated and Wright fleeing on foot their search notwithstanding the evidence collected didn't include their suspect who remains at large.