Police pursuit of South Lake Tahoe man caught on film in Sacramento

1:00 PM UPDATE: More information has been released in the arrest of Christopher Wadstein in Sacramento. Police found almost a pound of methamphetamine in the fire after his truck burst into flames.

Wadstein is a long time South Lake Tahoe resident with arrests dating back to his teenage years. Lt. Shannon Laney said their first file on him was in 2001. His previous convictions range from drugs and vandalism to kidnapping and weapons
charges. He is also believed to be a skinhead white supremacist prison gang member according to SLTPD.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A wanted man from South Lake Tahoe led multiple law enforcement agencies on a high-speed pursuit in El Dorado County and Sacramento on Tuesday with much of it caught on film by the KCRA helicopter news crew.

South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) had been looking for 30-year-old Christopher Louis Wadstein since May 2018 when he skipped town after posting bail on gun theft charges.

"He bounced between North Dakota and Douglas County," said SLTPD Lt. Shannon Laney. "We got word from North Dakota he was on his way to Sacramento to buy drugs and guns."

SLTPD detectives were watching for Wadstein in the Sacramento area and when spotted on Highway 50 in El Dorado County the sheriff's office attempted to pull him over. Wadstein was heading back to South Lake Tahoe according to police. A high-speed pursuit ensued but law enforcement backed off when the chase became unsafe for the public. Wadstein was then spotted in Sacramento on Highway 50 where law enforcement tried to once again pull him over. Another high-speed pursuit began this time during rush hour traffic. Wadstein hit two cars during the chase which ended with his truck catching fire on a levee road.
No injuries were reported.

He attempted to escape by jumping from his truck and running across a creek, but he was quickly apprehended and arrested.

The fire destroyed much of what was in the truck, but Laney said ammunition exploded and some drugs were burned, but not before they retrieved a large quantity of methamphetamine. The truck was towed to an undisclosed location in El Dorado County for further examination. SLTPD Detective Sgt. Travis Cabral said his team is down there looking it over.

Wadstein's arrest is the result of multiple agencies, including El Dorado County Sheriff's Office, Sacramento Sheriff's Office, Sacramento Police Department, California Highway Patrol, and the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

Laney said all agencies are cooperating and El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson will combine all cases from the multiple jurisdictions into El Dorado County.

Wadstein is currently in the El Dorado County Jail in Placerville on charges of Grand Theft Firearm and fugitive warrants. Besides warrants from South Lake Tahoe he also has an active warrant out of Douglas County. Bail is set at $380,000.

,