Police: Feud over 'girlfriend' led to vehicle chase that killed a Redding woman
Two men were feuding over a woman when they drove at speeds over 100 mph from Redding to Anderson, where one of them ran a red light and killed an innocent bystander driving through the intersection, according to police.
Andrew Michael Millner, 31, of Redding has been charged with murder in connection to the June 5 collision at the intersection of Pinon Avenue and Highway 273. He has also been charged with assault with a deadly weapon, being under the influence of drugs and possessing illegal drugs.
Millner has pleaded not guilty to the charges and on Friday was being held in the Shasta County Jail with a $1 million bail.
While the crash happened at about 9:30 a.m., the feud that day between Millner and Dennis Mize started about 2 hours earlier, according to an Anderson Police Department report.
The following information from the police report describes the series of events that led to the death of Susan Betty Young, 61, of Redding:
Millner told police he had been "hunting" for Mize after the two got into an argument on social media. "He claimed he wanted to fight Mize and 'beat him up' for disrespecting him through chat messages," the report says.
"He described an argument over a girl he was dating as the primary issue between the two of them, which started a few weeks ago," the report says.
Millner told police he was a plumber and he was on his way to provide a job estimate for a customer in Cottonwood when he saw Mize near the Clear Creek Market in south Redding.
He told police that at about 7:30 a.m. he was driving in the truck that belonged to the woman he and Mize were fighting over when he saw Mize near Clear Creek Market in south Redding.
"He saw Mize on his motorcycle and rolled down the driver window to 'stare' at or intimidate Mize," the police report says.
He chased Mize down Highway 273 and some nearby side roads, but eventually lost track of him. However, after he finished up in Cottonwood, he again went looking for Mize and found him near the Circle K on Westside Road in Redding.
He made a U-turn to follow Mize south on Highway 273, but he could not keep up with Mize's motorcycle, which Millner claimed reached speeds up to 130 mph. He also said Mize shot at him during the chase.
"Millner stated he had nothing to lose and he only became more angry with Mize and continued chasing him at speeds of 80-85 mph through Anderson," in an area where the speed limit was 45 mph, the report says.
Police said Millner and Mize blew through multiple red lights on their way south down Highway 273.
"Occasionally Miize would slow down and point at him or taunt him and he would catch up only for Mize to speed up again and gain distance between them," Millner allegedly told police.
When they got to the Highway 273 intersection with Pinon Avenue Mize at first seemed poised to turn right, but he turned left at the "last second," the police report says, citing Millner's statement.
Millner continued into the intersection, smashing into the side of a sedan driven by Young, the report says. Her car was thrown hundreds of feet into a ditch near the road, police said. Mize left the scene of the crash.
Police said Millner was under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash and they found marijuana and methamphetamine in the pickup.
Millner was charged in Shasta County Superior Court on June 7 in connection to the chase and crash. That same day he was charged with one count each of grand theft and embezzlement in connection to the alleged theft of construction tools, according to court records.
Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Police: Feud over "girlfriend" led to vehicle chase that killed woman
