Armed man lets hostages go on I-80
A man who had been holding his wife and three children hostage on Interstate 80 near the Sierra summit in Norden has released them to safety, officials said Wednesday night.
The main northern artery linking California and Nevada remained shut down near the summit as authorities negotiated with the unidentified man, who remained in his car with a weapon.
The man’s wife and children, ages 14, 9, and 11 months, were released after negotiations and are safe, said Stan Perez, chief of the California Highway Patrol Valley Division.
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Capt. Scott Jones said the man fled as deputies tried to arrest him on a warrant after his $70,000 bond was revoked. The man was scheduled for sentencing today and faced more than 15 years in prison, Jones said.
It was not clear what crime led to his conviction. Authorities would not identify the man, saying only that he was from the Sacramento area.
After deputies spotted the man in his vehicle at a fast food restaurant, he led them and CHP officers on a chase that reached speeds of 80 mph, said Sacramento County Sheriff’s Sgt. R.L. Davis.
A spike strip stopped the sedan on the interstate near Norden, about 90 miles northeast of Sacramento.
Officers brought a relative from Sacramento to help in negotiations.
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