CHP officer injured, Pittsburg man dead after Tehama County shooting

Damon Arthur, Redding Record Searchlight
Updated ·2 min read
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A California Highway Patrol Officer was seriously injured and a Pittsburg man died after an officer-involved shooting in Tehama County on Sunday.

The incident occurred at about 11:40 a.m. when a CHP officer stopped to assist a disabled motorist stopped along the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 in the area of Flores Avenue, south of Red Bluff, according to the Tehama County Sheriff's Office.

Shortly after arriving, the officer reported on his radio that the driver had shot him with an assault-style rifle, sheriff's officials said. While the officer was struck by gunfire, he was able to return fire on the driver, officials said.

The man, later identified as Joseph Michael Pate, 39, of Pittsburg, California, then stole the CHP officer's car and fled south on I-5, sheriff's officials said.

A short time later, in the area of Finnell Avenue in Corning, Pate collided with a big-rig truck, which rolled over onto its side on the west side of the freeway, sheriff's officials said. Pate also crashed the CHP car in a field west of I-5 and the vehicle caught fire, officials said.

Pate was arrested at the site of the crash, officials said. He was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to Enloe Medical Center in Chico, where he later died, officials said.

California Highway Patrol
California Highway Patrol

The driver of the semi-truck suffered minor injuries. The CHP officer, who was not named by the sheriff's office, was seriously injured but is expected to survive, officials said.

The sheriff's office is investigating Pate's actions, while the Tehama County District Attorney's Office is investigating the officer's involvement in the shooting. The CHP is conducting a separate internal investigation of the incident.

The sheriff's office is asking anyone with information, or any video recordings of the incident to contact the sheriff's office investigations unit at 530-529-7920.

Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: CHP officer injured, Pittsburg man dead after Tehama County shooting