POLICE PURSUIT ENDS IN CRASH, SUSPECT ARREST AT GUNPOINT

 A police pursuit through Eureka has officers detaining the suspect at gunpoint. It happened around 2:30 Monday afternoon. Eureka police say 31-year old Christina Copp was swerving in and out of traffic headed westbound on Highway 101 in front of the jail, when a Ferndale police officer was leaving the jail and followed her in pursuit. Officers say she sideswiped multiple vehicles, speeding down the highway before crashing at the corner of 14th and Broadway. The Ferndale police officer held Copp at gunpoint as Eureka Police and medical crews arrived on scene. The victim walked away uninjured, and says the collision could have been much worse.
 

 
"Hit my brakes as soon as I saw her out of the corner of my eye. If I hadn't she would have hit me right in the passenger side... but she just hit the front of the vehicle. And then the police officers came right around and told her to remove herself from the vehicle right away."

 
 
“Any time we're in a pursuit you have to assume the worst,” said Gary Whitmer, senior traffic officer with Eureka Police, “You don't know why this person is running. So it's standard protocol and standard operating procedure oo take somebody out at gunpoint to ensure everybody's safety. And once you get that person detained -- things can deescalate."

Officer Whitmer says Copp was making "bizarre" statements as he was trying to speak with her and says she may be suffering from some mental health issues. She was detained and taken to the hospital. Officers believed she suffered minor injuries in the crash