A multi-agency pursuit across Sutter, Butte and Yuba counties ended Thursday in a tense standoff in the trees, after two Yuba County deputies opened fire on a fleeing driver and the suspect was finally taken into custody, authorities said. The chase began near Nuestro Road and Tierra Buena Road in Yuba City, rolled through Marysville and on to Brownsville, then wrapped up in a wooded stretch off New York Flat Road near Forbestown. Deputies said the driver, later identified as a 46-year-old Oroville man, tried to steer his vehicle toward officers in a Brownsville parking lot. The vehicle was struck by gunfire, yet the driver was not hit. He was eventually found after a K-9 bite, taken for medical treatment and is set to be booked into the Yuba County Jail. No deputies or civilians were reported injured.
How The Chase Unfolded
According to the Yuba County Sheriff's Office, as reported by YubaNet, Sutter County deputies first tried to pull over a GMC Yukon near Nuestro Road and Tierra Buena Road after learning the SUV was tied to a suspect wanted on a Butte County warrant for kidnapping and lewd acts involving a child. When the driver refused to stop, the situation escalated quickly. Multiple agencies, including the Sutter County and Yuba County sheriff's offices and California Highway Patrol units, joined the pursuit, and CHP air support helped track the Yukon from above.
Brownsville Confrontation
Investigators say the Yukon eventually pulled into a Dollar General parking lot in Brownsville, where the driver went over a curb to dodge a spike strip, then accelerated toward deputies who were standing outside their vehicles. That move prompted two deputies to fire at the SUV, which was hit by the gunfire though the driver again escaped injury, according to FOX40. The chase did not end there. The driver pushed on into a heavily wooded area off New York Flat Road in Forbestown, where a sheriff's K-9 tracked him down and bit him before deputies were able to move in, take him into custody and get him transported for medical care.
Investigation And Next Steps
The Yuba-Sutter Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Team is handling the review of the deputies' use of force, and authorities say more details will be released as the case moves forward, per the sheriff's office via YubaNet. The suspect has been identified as 46-year-old Michael Ginn of Oroville and is expected to be booked into the Yuba County Jail on an outstanding Butte County warrant.
Local Context
Officer-involved shootings and high-speed pursuits have drawn heavy scrutiny in the area in recent years, and Yuba County reported a fatal shooting earlier this month that authorities investigated, as reported by The Sacramento Bee. That backdrop helps explain why investigators and prosecutors typically take time to gather evidence, review video and interview witnesses before deciding whether to file charges connected to a use-of-force incident.
