From the Arcata Police Department:

Wheeler

On 8/31/2017 at about 12:55am, an officer with the Arcata Police Department observed a Toyota pick-up drive around a stopped vehicle at the intersection of Alliance Rd and Spear Ave and into the opposite lane of traffic at a high rate of speed.

The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop when the vehicle was unable to maneuver the turn at Janes road and crashed through a fence and into a field in the 2900 block of Janes Rd.  

Officers, with the assistance of the California Highway Patrol and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department, were able to locate and apprehend the fleeing driver and registered owner of the vehicle, Eureka resident Loren Patrick Wheeler (age 36).

During a search of the vehicle prior to it’s being towed from the scene, a loaded Smith and Wesson .223 caliber rifle was located in the passenger compartment.

Wheeler was transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility where he was booked on the following charges:

• PC 25850 - Possession of a Loaded Firearm in Vehicle
• CVC - 23152(a) - Driving Under the Influence
• CVC 20002(a) - Hit and Run