CHP: Suspect rams patrol vehicle during Clearlake pursuit

A Clearlake man attempting to outrun an officer during a Monday pursuit hit another driver head-on before ramming a patrol car and running off an embankment, the CHP said.

Dain Matthew Beck, 19, was arrested on suspicion of felony evading an officer and assault for ramming the patrol vehicle, according to the CHP.

The chase started about 6:30 p.m. at Old Highway 53 and Olympic Drive in Clearlake, as CHP Officer Brian Hanson came up to the intersection alongside a teal Scion.

The driver, later identified as Beck, sped off and turned left onto the rural highway, while the patrol officer followed behind with his lights and siren on, CHP Officer Joel Skeen said.

Beck, still speeding, lost control on a turn and hit another vehicle head-on, Skeen said. No one was injured in that collision.

The officer got out of his patrol car and attempted to approach Beck, but the man backed into the officer’s Dodge Charger, causing minor bumper damage, Skeen said.

The chase then resumed.

Within seconds Beck missed a curve and ran off the road west of Davis Avenue, where his Scion flipped onto its side after starting up an embankment, Skeen said.

Beck was ordered out of the car at gunpoint and arrested on suspicion of the two felony counts, as well as driving without a license and hit-and-run. He remained in jail Tuesday on $50,000 bail.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.