Our Neighbor’s First-Hand Account
From Cindy Kazee: “I had a front-row seat to the police chase earlier this week! I didn’t see the suspect, but I watched the gathering of law enforcement personnel, and spoke with someone from the sheriff’s office at the roadblock. I wrote up a short article and included photos that I took, if you would like to consider publishing [them].”
Police Activity in Hidden Valley
If you drove into or out Hidden Valley by way of Mira Loma on Tuesday afternoon on the 9th of May, chances are you saw a large presence of Reno Police Department and Washoe County Sheriff vehicles blocking the southbound road. Within a few hours, all the local news channels were featuring our neighborhood under the banner “breaking news.”
I was at work in my home office when I heard a speeding car approach from Veterans Highway. I looked out my window when I heard the sirens and saw five RPD vehicles speed down Mira Loma and turn right on W. Hidden Valley. They were followed by two unmarked pickup trucks, lights and sirens blaring and shortly after, a squad of sheriff units arrived. It appeared that the speeding vehicle had lost control in the turn and drove up on the lawn of the second house on the west side of Hidden Valley Drive, throwing gravel from the landscaping into the street.
According to a member of the sheriff’s office, the driver of the car fled when a warrant was served for his arrest, struck a number of police cars and then raced down Veterans Parkway, turning on Mira Loma. He then left the valley on the dirt road at the very southern end of Hidden Valley Drive. They were tracking his movement with a county helicopter and a K-9 unit, and there was no longer a threat to the public. Hours later, the news reported that the warrant was issued for a weapons charge, and he was apprehended, shot, and airlifted from Virginia City Highlands.
My neighbors said that it is not uncommon for cars to lose control in the turn at Mira Loma and W. Hidden Valley drive. The house at the end of Mira Loma has a large rock in the front yard, placed there after a driver failed to stop and nearly hit the home. Tire marks on the sidewalk are evidence that some vehicles cut the corner or take it too fast and drift off the road.
Protecting citizens from crime is a priority, but public safety is also critical. How safe are the drivers and residents of Hidden Valley when a high-speed chase ends up in our neighborhood? Had any cars been approaching Mira Loma from the south, the fleeing driver would have hit them. If the homeowner had been in his yard, he might have been injured.
As a relatively new resident of Hidden Valley and a dog owner, I appreciate how walkable and friendly our neighborhood is. I’m also surprised at how many drivers exceed the posted speed limit, many of them residents. Please remember to drive defensively and be aware of distracted drivers. Also, keep our friends and family safe and slow down.
by Cindy Kazee
4880 W. Hidden Valley Drive
Sincere thanks to Cindy, for her great citizen journalism and reminding us all to slow down in the neighborhood.