Standoff, chase close Highway 101 near Arroyo Grande
Authorities closed Highway 101 in Arroyo Grande late Friday morning after a low-speed chase ended in a standoff with the driver, according to Santa Maria police.
The chase reportedly started in Santa Maria as officers tried to stop a driver suspected of being under influence of drugs or alcohol, Lt. Russ Mengel said.
With law enforcement officers following, the driver headed north on Highway 101 traveling at speeds reported at 40 mph.
A spike strip reportedly was deployed at approximately 11:20 a.m. in an effort to stop the driver.
The chase ended near Brisco Road in Arroyo Grande and prompted Caltrans to close both sides of the freeway and detour traffic at Grand Avenue.
Although the vehicle stopped, the female driver refused to get out of the car and surrender to police, Mengel said.
Law enforcement officers were discussing using non-lethal force, such as pepper spray or beanbag rounds to end the standoff.
The driver was eventually taken into custody about 12:15 p.m., and both lanes of Highway 101 were open again about half an hour later.
This story was originally published January 25, 2019 at 12:11 PM.