Suspect Shoots Officer and Flees in Stolen Patrol Car

* (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) *
Tehama County, California — On October 15, 2023, around 11:38 a.m., a California Highway Patrol Officer from the CHP Red Bluff Office responded to the area of Southbound I-5, north of Flores Avenue for a report of a disabled motorist. Dashcam footage from the officer’s patrol car shows the officer approach the vehicle on the passenger side and asks the driver, 39-year-old Joseph Michael Pate, to roll down the window. However, the driver refused to roll down the window. He gets out of the vehicle instead and shoots the officer. The Officer then returned fire.

Pate was believed to have been hit by gunfire when the CHP Officer initially returned fire. Two minutes later, Pate fired at the officer again, hitting him multiple times. Pate was able to steal the officer’s patrol car. Dashcam footage from the stolen patrol car shows Pate swerving in and out of traffic, veering in front of an 18-wheeler at one point, causing the large vehicle to flip onto its side. The patrol car eventually caught fire, forcing Pate to abandon it. Pate was taken into custody and transported to a hospital, where he later died. The driver of the semi-truck suffered minor injuries. The 10-year veteran officer, despite being shot in the abdomen, shoulder, and leg, has since physically recovered and returned to duty.