4 arrested after 100 mph pursuit in Tahoe area following theft at Nevada casino, CHP says

Four men were arrested, including one from Roseville, following a high-speed pursuit late last month in the South Lake Tahoe area that ended with a spike-strip deployment on Highway 89, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP said the pursuit April 27 involved a van that was believed to be fleeing a theft at the Wa She Shu Casino in Gardnerville, Nevada.

More than $8,000 worth of cigarette cartons had been stolen from the tribal casino, according to the CHP, which is located along Nevada Highway 395 and has an attached smoke shop.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office issued a be-on-the-lookout alert for a gray van in connection with the organized retail theft, the CHP’s South Lake Tahoe office said in a news release.

A CHP officer patrolling Highway 88 near Upper Emigrant Trail in Alpine County spotted a gray van heading westbound on the highway at about 85 mph, shortly after 11 a.m. The officer attempted to stop the van but it sped up and a chase ensued, eventually reaching speeds of just over 100 mph, according to the CHP release.

The van turned from Highway 88 onto Highway 89. Law enforcement personnel set up a spike strip, which the van drove over, deflating its two front tires. The van yielded near Blitzen Road, authorities said.

One of the van’s passengers attempted to flee on foot but was “immediately” apprehended, along with the van’s other three occupants, CHP officials wrote. South Lake Tahoe police and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office assisted during the pursuit, according to the CHP.

The CHP news release identified the four suspects as 22-year-old Ali Garry Muhammad, of Oakland; 23-year-old Herbert Kinchen, of Oakland; 22-year-old Isaiah Jennings, of Roseville; and 21-year-old Antoine Ellis, of Inglewood.

Authorities identified Muhammad as the alleged driver and Kinchen as the passenger who fled on foot. All four men were arrested and booked into jail Thursday afternoon on numerous charges, including theft and conspiracy.

All four suspects are ineligible for bail, El Dorado County jail records show.

The stolen merchandise was recovered from the vehicle and turned over to the Washoe Tribal Police Department, the CHP said. Photos posted by the CHP to social media showed dozens of cigarette cartons that had been stuffed into at least three black garbage bags.

The incident remains under investigation.