April 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 4

AROUND THE COUNTRY

AROUND THE COUNTRY DAVIS, CA. CHP Officers injured when a driver deliberately crashed head-on into their patrol vehicle while they were parked along Interstate 80 in Davis California. By Rosalio Ahumada, The Sacramento Bee DAVIS, CA. — California Highway Patrol shared video Thursday that officials say captured a driver who “deliberately” crashed head-on into a parked patrol vehicle, injuring two officers Wednesday along Interstate 80 in Davis. The CHP on Thursday afternoon released video of the white vehicle slamming into the patrol vehicle parked on the right shoulder of the I-80 eastbound lanes, just west of Mace Boulevard. Ezery Beauchamp, a CHP assistant commissioner, said in a video news release that the officers working for the CHP Woodland office were “targeted” by the driver, who crashed head-on into their parked vehicle. He said the officers had just completed an unrelated traffic stop on another vehicle along the freeway. The driver, who has since been arrested and booked at the Yolo County Jail, drove his vehicle at a high rate of speed along the right shoulder of the freeway and “intentionally struck” the stopped CHP vehicle, Beauchamp said in the narrated CHP video, 42 The Blues - April ‘24 which includes footage from another driver who was in the area at the time of the crash. The video shows the force of the impact cased the white vehicle to become airborne before it rolled over and came to rest on its wheels on the right shoulder. The crash crushed the front end of the CHP patrol vehicle, and its airbags appeared to have deployed. At the time of the crash, both officers were seated in the patrol vehicle and wearing their seat belts. The CHP said the officers were taken by ambulance to a hospital and medically treated for minor to major injuries. “Acts of violence like this against our officers will not be tolerated,” Beauchamp said in the video. “Our CHP detectives and investigative personnel will work collaboratively with the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office to ensure this individual is held accountable for his actions.”

Police chief Anthony Anderson collapses watching college basketball game, later dies BOONEVILLE, MS. – A community in Mississippi is mourning after a police chief collapsed while watching a college basketball game and later died. The Northeast Mississippi Community College announced the death of Police Chief Anthony Anderson, 61, who worked for the school for nearly 10 years. Officials said he collapsed at the basketball game Saturday evening and was rushed to Baptist Memorial Hospital where he was later pronounced dead from natural causes, WTVA reported. Anderson was a 24-year law enforcement veteran. He previously served the Union County Sheriff’s Office, and became the Verona Police Chief prior to being employed as the Northeast Mississippi Community College’s police chief, according to WFSB. School officials noted “even the strongest among us are not immune” as they grieve his loss. “Chief Anthony Anderson’s untimely departure reminds us that even the strongest among us are not immune to life’s fragility,” said the community college president Dr. Ricky G. Ford in a post to social media. “His dedication to safety, service, and community will be deeply missed but forever cherished in the hearts of those he protected and inspired.” Anderson leaves behind his wife and three children. The Blues - April ‘24 43