Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office press release: 

On 8-28-2014, at approximately 2:00 p.m. the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received a call from Desmond Merk Oliver, 24 years old, who reported two men were shooting at him and he had rammed their vehicle. Oliver reported the incident occurred at State Route 169 and Highway 96, Weitchpec.  Deputies, California Highway Patrol Officers, Yurok Police and Hoopa Tribal Police responded to the scene.

When the investigating deputy arrived on scene he spoke with Oliver who told him 29 year old twin brothers chased him for several miles on State Route 96, in Hoopa. They were driving their blue sedan following him and indicating he needed to pull over to talk with them about an ongoing dispute. Oliver was driving his 2003 Ford truck. When he drove onto the Weitchpec bridge, they passed him and stopped. Oliver felt threatened, so he rammed them with his truck. He told the deputy he thought the suspects had firearms, but never saw firearms. After he rammed them, he thought he heard a gunshot.

The two brothers told the deputy they did not have any firearms and never shot at Oliver.  They admitted to passing Oliver and slowing down so they could talk with him. The deputy searched their car and did not locate any firearms. Neither vehicle had evidence of being struck by a bullet. There was no evidence of any firearms being fired. One of the brothers sustained a minor injury in the collision.

Oliver was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility where he was booked. His bail was set at $50,000.

Anyone with information for the Sheriff’s Office regarding this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Office at 707-445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539.