‘It was total madness’

Swen Raulfs, left, surveys the damage to his tattoo parlor on U.S. Highway 101 on Tuesday. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

Every day, he places a flag at the front corner of his business near the intersection of U.S. Highway 101 and Ninth Street to advertise that he’s open.

Tuesday morning he kept the same routine, except this time a car that was involved in a high-speed chase barreled into his tattoo parlor about 20 seconds after he walked into the building.

“All of a sudden I hear these screeching tires,” he said, and then the building started to shake. “I thought literally the car was coming through.”

Raulfs hit the ground as shelves, swords and frames rattled on his walls. When he opened the door, the cement steps leading into his business were gone and a green car mangled from the crash was motionless in the middle of the highway.

He also noticed that his 1999 Harley Davidson that was parked next to the building had been hit. As Raulfs looked back to the car, he saw a man leap from the driver’s side and start running.

Raulfs, perturbed about the added insult to his bike, started chasing the man, but the parlor owner didn’t quite make it across the street before authorities told him to stop.

“It was total madness,” he said.

Sheriff’s deputies and city police officers chased the suspect through the Walgreens parking lot and apprehended him in the wooded area north of Ray’s Food Place. He was identified as Derrick Norris, a 21-year-old Klamath resident who had several warrants out for his arrest.

According to sheriff’s Commander Tim Athey, deputies started looking for Norris after a man called authorities Tuesday morning to tell them that his 16-year-old daughter’s fugitive boyfriend was at his house.

The car came to rest with boards from the building sticking out. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

Crescent City Police Officer Jerrin Gill, who joined in the pursuit, said Norris hit speeds “upwards of 50 mph” before losing control of the vehicle at the intersection of Highway 101 and Ninth Street and driving into Living Canvass Tattoos and Piercing.

After his arrest, Norris was taken to Sutter Coast Hospital for treatment of a minor cut on his arm that occurred during the chase.

“Thank goodness he didn’t kill anyone,” Athey said, “because sometimes that can happen with pursuits.”

Norris had several warrants out for his arrest, including ones for obstructing a peace officer and failing to appear in court for driving under the influence. He now faces charges of evading police, reckless driving, and driving without insurance, as well as an infraction for failing to yield at a stop sign.

As for Raulfs, he estimated that the crash caused up to $50,000 worth of damage to his building, in addition to the minor damage to his motorcycle.

“It’s an inconvenience,” Raulfs said. “It’s just stupid, senseless stuff.”