SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – A man from Antioch, Calif. is spending his 26th birthday in the El Dorado County Jail in South Lake Tahoe after he was arrested following a high speed pursuit through construction closures at Emerald Bay.
On August 20, 2026, at approximately 1:52 a.m., California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Heitzman was working with Caltrans in a construction closure when traffic control operators advised of a gold Tesla truck being driven at a high rate of speed, running the two separate closures north of Emerald Bay.
Officer Heitzman stopped the Tesla truck at the north end of the closure near Emerald Bay. As she exited her patrol vehicle to contact the driver, he sped away at a high rate of speed, running the red traffic control light and endangering the numerous construction workers inside the construction zone.
The officer then pursued the vehicle with Code 3 lights and siren activated. The driver continued at a high rate of speed southbound on SR-89. Just south of Inspiration Point, in the first switchback, the driver lost control, and the Tesla left the roadway and hit a tree.
The driver, Anthony James Levon Jr., was placed under arrest for felony evading and transported to Barton Memorial Hospital due to his possible injuries. His bail has been set at $75,000.