Saturday, November 15, 2014

RESIDENTS CONCERNED ABOUT "FLASHING LIGHTS" TAILGATER

LOCAL RESIDENT IMPLICATED
If you have been following Deerhorn Valley's Facebook postings, you know this situation has been a big topic for the last few days: an extreme (inches away) tailgating driver, flashing official-looking lights behind slower cars ahead.  There have been reports from at least five different individuals.  Most of the incidents have occurred at night along isolated sections of Honey Springs Road.
One woman, with her kids in the car, described how this car come up behind her within inches of her bumper. Blue and white flashing lights came on, to the point of blinding her. Although she was frightened, she thought it was an official stop, and she pulled off to the side of Honey Springs Road.  Only then did she realize she was at the very edge of a steep drop-off.  She reported the incident to authorities, but was told nothing could be done about it since no sheriff had actually witnessed the incident.  (People can—and should—make a Citizen's Arrest in these kinds of situations.  She was not told that was an option).
That incident happened about 2 months ago.  Since then there have been several more reports involving the same vehicle— a white Volvo with religious stickers, a vanity license plate, and Twisted Mazanita Ale signs.  An Antler Alert went out on November 12th, and EastCountyMagazine.org ran an article the following day.  Their news partner, 10NEWS, then decided to investigate. They ran the license plate, determined the car's owner, then visited his residence on Deerhorn Valley Road.  The story and video are posted here:

Community comments are found on  Facebook.com/DeerhornValley, East County Emergency Alerts, and on the DeerhornExchange 


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WHAT EXPERTS RECOMMEND...
If you have a car tailgate you, flash lights, or otherwise appear to want you to stop, or you are uncertain about the car, driver, or safety of the location:

1) Turn on your flashers, slow down, and continue driving until you are in a safe area where there are other people

2) If your cellphone has a signal, you can call 911.  Tell the dispatcher you are not sure what kind of vehicle is following you—it may (or may not) be official.  Dispatch may help guide you to a safer location, and/or determine whether or not the car behind you is official or not

3) In California, it is illegal to flash lights (of any color) except in very specific situations, usually only if there there is an emergency situation ahead. (CVC #25251)   Police, even in unmarked cars,  typically use a RED solid light to signal drivers to pull over.  Flashing BLUE. RED, AMBER and/or WHITE flashers are often mounted on the top of marked vehicles.