Car chase ends in crash, driver arrested in connection with January attempted homicide

A man who was wanted in connection with a Nevada County shooting was arrested Friday after a Nevada County Sheriff’s deputy recognized him while driving.

Douglas Ralph MacDuff, 28, allegedly was involved in a shooting in North San Juan on Jan. 3 that left one man injured with at least one gunshot wound and a woman injured, according to a Nevada County Sheriff’s Office news release.

MacDuff allegedly crashed a stolen vehicle and fled on foot to escape authorities, according to a previous report by The Bee. The woman, who was in the vehicle with MacDuff, was treated at a hospital along with the gunshot victim, according to the news release.

At about 1:15 p.m. Friday, a sheriff’s deputy spotted MacDuff driving a white BMW sedan on Pleasant Valley Road near North San Juan, according to a news release issued by the Grass Valley California Highway Patrol.

The deputy tried to pull over the BMW, but MacDuff sped off, leading the deputy on a pursuit, according to the CHP release. The Grass Valley Police Department and CHP officers were called in for assistance, the release said.

MacDuff allegedly led law enforcement through Rough and Ready, a community just east of Grass Valley, on the Rough and Ready Highway, where he lost control on a curve, went off the road and crashed into a drainage ditch around 1:25 p.m., according to the CHP release.

MacDuff got out of the BMW, leaving behind a female passenger, according to the release. She was uninjured and was not taken into custody, the release said.

Officers set up a perimeter and used a helicopter and at least one K-9 unit to search for MacDuff, according to the CHP release. He was taken into custody at 2:19 p.m., according to the release, and was being held at the Nevada County jail.

This story was originally published February 3, 2019 at 7:53 PM.