May 2, 2026 – Yuba County District Attorney filed charges on Friday morning alleging that Michael William Ginn, a 46-year-old man arrested on Thursday after a high-speed pursuit and officer-involved shooting, assaulted Yuba County Sheriff’s Deputy Ballantine with a deadly weapon and drove recklessly while fleeing pursuing officers. Ginn was arraigned on Friday at 2:00 p.m. in Yuba County.
According to the initial investigation, Ginn had no regard for public safety during the pursuit, driving more than 100 miles per hour and passing cars on the right. When Ginn approached the Dollar General in Brownsville, he drove the black GMC Yukon off the roadway to avoid a spike strip and drove at a high rate of speed toward Deputy Ballantine. Deputy Ballantine scrambled out of the path of Yukon while two other deputies fired their duty weapons at Ginn, striking the vehicle but not Ginn. Ginn continued to flee but was ultimately arrested in a wooded area off New York Flat Road. Ginn was bitten by a Yuba County Sheriff’s K-9 during his arrest. No other people were injured during the incident.
The incident is being investigated by the Yuba-Sutter Officer Involved Shooting and Critical Incident Investigation Team. The Team is led by the Chief Investigators of the Yuba and Sutter County District Attorneys’ Offices and is made up of experienced law enforcement officers from all the law enforcement agencies in Yuba and Sutter Counties.
Ginn is currently being held in the Yuba County Jail on the charges related to the pursuit and assault, as well as a Butte County arrest warrant. Ginn is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: Yuba County District Attorney’s Office