By Ryan Lillis and Chelsea Phua
Divers will head back into the Sacramento River Wednesday to search for the man who crashed a pickup truck into the water during a high-speed chase with police.
Officers with the Drowning Accident Rescue Team found the allegedly stolen white GMC pickup in the river near Miller Park early Wednesday, but the driver was not inside, authorities said. The truck's driver seat window was down, said California Highway Patrol Officer Michael Bradley.
The search for the driver will not expand beyond the river, Bradley said. If he is not found, authorities are not planning a manhunt because the man was being chased for "non-violent offenses," Bradley said.
The chase started about 10:40 p.m. when the CHP received a report of a suspected drunken driver.
Officer Aaron Kingsley said he spotted the vehicle speeding and weaving northbound on Interstate 5 near the Fruitridge Road exit.
When he attempted to stop the truck, it accelerated and took the exit to Broadway and into the Land Park area.
Kingsley said the truck ran several stop signs and red lights in the residential neighborhood. Bradley said the truck was traveling at 80 to 90 mph and was going against traffic on Broadway for a period of time.
The chase ended about 11 p.m. when the truck broke through a barricade at Broadway and Front Street, drove through a utility pole and down an embankment into the Sacramento River, authorities said. Officers saw a cloud of smoke and some sparks before the truck hit the water.
The truck is registered in Tuolumne County and is suspected to be an unreported stolen vehicle, Bradley said. Authorities in Tuolumne County and Merced County - where the truck allegedly was taken - may know who the driver is, Bradley said.
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