An Oroville man is in jail after leading the California Highway Patrol on a high-speed pursuit that reached speeds of up to 100 mph Tuesday.
Larry Bonner, 41, of Oroville was arrested and booked into the Yuba County Jail on charges of felony hit and run after crashing his vehicle and fleeing the scene. The accident resulted in major bodily injury to the passenger and he was charged with evading arrest.
Tyrone Granlund Jr. was booked into the Sutter County Jail for providing false information to officers, for being an accessory to concealing the location of Bonner, and for delaying the investigation, according to the CHP of Yuba and Sutter counties.
Pamela Joy Mundrick, 44, of Oroville suffered severe spinal cord injury during the crash and faces being charged with providing false information to officers, according to CHP Officer Jeff Larson, public information officer.
It was about 3:30 p.m. on Monday when CHP Officer Erickson observed a 1997 Chevrolet Camaro spinning donuts in a community park near the Bangor fire station.
Erikson attempted to pull the vehicle over, and the driver fled and a high-speed pursuit ensued, said Larson.
The fleeing driver failed to yield at a stop sign on Los Verjeles Road and Loma Rica Road, hit an embankment, and crashed. The driver then jumped out of the vehicle and ran into an open field through poison oak bushes, but got away, Larson said.
Upon inspecting the wrecked vehicle, Erikson heard screaming and discovered a female in the passenger front seat of the car.
Firefighters and paramedics were called to the scene, and extrication was used to free the injured female, who was flown by air ambulance to the Sutter-Roseville Hospital.
CHP officers inspected the vehicle, found a duffle bag of personal items with the name Tyrone Granlund Jr. associated with them and that the vehicle was registered to Granlund. Based on that information, CHP officers had reason to believe the driver was probably Granlund and began to search for him, Larson said.
The following day, Granlund’s mother called the CHP and said her son was not involved in the accident. She encouraged her son to turn himself in and explain to the officer what happened. Granlund was hesitant and initially did not come forward, Larson said.
Meanwhile, CHP officers questioned the female passenger in the Sutter-Roseville Hospital. She was uncooperative and provided false information to authorities, claiming her name was Melissa Eldridge. She also refused to reveal the name of the driver of the vehicle, Larson said. “After obtaining DMV records, CHP officers discovered she did not look like Melissa Eldridge at all,” Larson added.
Granlund he denied any involvement in the crash during questioning by the CHP. After the officers explained the seriousness of the crash that involved major injuries and the fact they found a duffle bag and personal items with his name on them, Granlund finally admitted Bonner was the driver of his vehicle and the passenger was Pamela Joy Mundrick, not Melissa Eldridge.
CHP officers conducted a search of probation and parole records, and learned of the last known address for Bonner in Oroville on Caroline Way. CHP officers from Yuba and Sutter counties and the Oroville area along with the CHP helicopter converged on Bonner’s residence at 10 p.m. Tuesday.
After being admitted into the residence, CHP officers found Bonner asleep in his bedroom. He was covered with poison oak, had a broken hand, scratches and some bruising, Larson said.
Bonner was taken into custody and booked into the Yuba County Jail for felony hit and run resulting in great bodily injury and evading arrest. He was taken to the Yuba County Jail, the jurisdictional area where the crime occurred.
Granlund was arrested and taken back to Sutter County, booked into the Sutter County Jail for providing false information and for being an accessory to concealing the location of Bonner and delaying the investigation.
Mundrick faces being charged with providing false information to authorities.
BY PAULA M. FELIPE/Public Safety Reporter
Oroville Mercury Register
