Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - Who is Chad Wallin-Reed, and what did he do?

Chad Wallin-Reed
Ex-army ranger, now a convicted felon, Chad Wallin-Reed (Image via NBC Dateline)

On Wednesday, November 16, 2022, Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will revisit the thrilling, hostile, and deadly car chase and shootout between army vet Chad Wallin-Reed and six young men during the July 4th weekend of 2011, in remote areas of Plumas County, California. The episode, titled Miles From Nowhere, will premiere on Oxygen at 8 pm ET.

Here's a look at the synopsis:

"In the California mountains, a young father calls 911 to report that he had been in a shoot-out with a car full of strangers. With one man dead and two others injured, authorities wonder if this was self-defense or something else."

When six young men, all between the ages of 19 and 20, tried to trespass on Chad Wallin-Reed's family cabin in the remote woods of Plumas County, California, the army vet and father-of-three felt the need to protect his children and wife.

Chad reportedly engaged in a car chase with the men, shooting at them multiple times, killing one and injuring two.

The chase, which took place about eight miles down a dirt road called Janesville Grade Road, ended with a bloody crime scene. The 38-year-old father was charged with murder and sentenced to more than 80 years in prison.


Chad Wallin-Reed fatally shot at six young men during a high-speed car chase

Burglars terrorized the Plumas County woods and remote areas. Chad Wallin-Reed, who was on a weekend holiday trip to his family's cabin in the secluded woods, felt threatened when he noticed unusual trespassing signs and a strange car around his property, irrespective of the warning signs. Chad, an army vet who cared a lot about safety and security, had the cabin stocked with weapons.

During their stay at the property in July 2011, a car full of six young men driving around found their way to the remote area where Chad Wallin-Reed's cabin was located. The Wallin-Reed family and at least one other couple planned to spend the 4th of July holiday weekend in the cabin.

On the first night, a car with young men pulled up near the cabin. One of the men went near the property entrance and stole a solar light. The next night, they once again pulled up to the property. However, this time Chad, who was relaxing with some friends outside, fired a warning shot and saw them speed off in the car. But the army vet felt threatened and didn't let it go this time.


The last few rounds fired by Chad Wallin-Reed's special rifle killed 20-year-old Rory McGuire

Chad Wallin-Reed reportedly took his .223-caliber deer rifle and a handgun, got into his pick-up truck, and started chasing after the car. In his version of the story, during the chase, he thought that someone in the car fired at him first, and in retaliation, he used his handgun to shoot at them. When asked if he had hit the car, Chad claimed he wasn't sure. Reports state that he fired at least 26 shots.

Somewhere around Antelope Lake, the driver of the car, Rory McGuire, took a U-turn and cut in front of Wallin-Reed's course. The latter then used his rifle to fire six rounds at the men inside the car through the passenger-side door. One of these bullets allegedly struck McGuire in the head or neck, eventually killing him. Once the deadly chase was over, Chad even tried to check on the men.

Since there was no cell reception in the secluded region, the former army vet rushed back to his family cabin, where his friends and wife awaited in distress and told them about what exactly happened before calling the sheriff's department. The events that transpired afterwards were reportedly full of chaos and confusion until the fatally injured victims were found on the dirt road.


Chad Wallin-Reed was sentenced to more than 80 years in prison for the murder of Rory McGuire and injuring two other individuals during the July 2011 incident.

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