Spike Strips End Highway 299 Pursuit of Stolen Pickup Truck

A stolen Dodge pickup veered into oncoming traffic on Highway 299 Thursday afternoon before California Highway Patrol officers deployed spike strips and arrested a 36-year-old Hoopa man on four criminal charges, returning the truck to its owner within an hour.

Officers were already in pursuit of the stolen Dodge heading east on SR-299 around 2:40 p.m. when at least one motorist reported a near head-on collision, the sharpest danger point in a chase running along one of Humboldt County's most critical two-lane corridors. CHP then laid a spike strip across the eastbound lanes. The Dodge rolled over the device, at least one tire deflated, and the crippled truck crossed the center line before coming to rest on the wrong side of the road.

CHP Officer M. Quevedo made the arrest. Booking records at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility identify the driver as Joshua Ellis Moon, 36, of Hoopa. Moon faces felony charges of evading a peace officer with reckless driving and unlawful taking or driving of a vehicle, along with misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of burglary tools. County booking records show Moon was previously processed by the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office in January 2024 on a probation violation; a June 2013 HCSO press release also identified Moon as a suspect in a robbery on Cannibal Island Road near Loleta.

No officers or motorists were injured. Videos captured at the scene by Chandra Norton McCurdy show CHP in active pursuit before Officer Quevedo made the stop.

SR-299 is two lanes for most of its run between the coast and Willow Creek, and the corridor east of Arcata through Blue Lake toward the Hoopa Valley leaves almost no recovery space once a vehicle enters oncoming lanes. A near head-on at pursuit speeds on that stretch can be catastrophic with virtually no warning, which is why spike strips, which produce a gradual controlled deflation rather than a sudden blowout, are CHP's preferred rural-highway tactic over a rolling PIT maneuver.

Moon is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. The Humboldt County District Attorney's Office will determine whether additional charges are filed as CHP's formal incident report is completed.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ENCOUNTER A PURSUIT ON SR-299

If you see a police pursuit underway on Highway 299, pull as far right as safely possible, stop, and do not attempt to block or assist. Do not follow the chase vehicles. CHP recommends staying in place until law enforcement clears the roadway.

Spike strips work by puncturing tires with hollow spikes that remain embedded and allow air to bleed slowly, deflating the tire over seconds rather than causing an immediate blowout. Officers typically pre-position ahead of a fleeing vehicle and retrieve the strip once it has been crossed to protect other traffic.

To report a stolen vehicle in Humboldt County, call 911 if the theft is in progress or if you spot a known stolen vehicle in motion. For non-emergency stolen vehicle reports, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office accepts calls at (707) 445-7251 and online reports through humboldtgov.org. CHP also accepts tips at chp.ca.gov/notify-chp.