Police tase man after crash, alleged carjacking attempt in Paso Robles
Paso Robles police took a motorist into custody after a crash and an attempted carjacking on Tuesday morning.
At about 11:08 a.m., police received reports of a traffic collision involving multiple vehicles near the northbound Highway 101 off-ramp at Paso Robles Street, according to the CHP.
Emergency personnel briefly closed the northbound Highway 101 off-ramp at Paso Robles Street, but radio dispatchers announced the ramp was back open by 11:55 a.m.
A gray sedan was later determined to have slammed into a parked pickup truck.
Witnesses reporting the incident told dispatchers that the driver of the sedan exited the vehicle and ran away from the scene of the crash, The Paso Robles Police Department said in a news release late Tuesday afternoon.
The suspect, later identified as 32-year-old Atascadero resident Darren Santagelo, began yelling at other vehicles passing by the crash and tried to get into other vehicles in the area, police said.
Upon arriving, a Paso Robles police officer contacted Santagelo, who was yelling in the middle of Paso Robles Street, the release said.
Santagelo “immediately became violent toward the officer by kicking and punching him,” police said. “The officer deployed his Taser and with the assistance of arriving officers was able to get the suspect into custody.”
Paso Robles Emergency Services arrived to render medical aid to Santagelo, who continued to resist the officers and medical treatment, according to the department.
Santagelo was eventually restrained and transported to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo for injuries sustained in the traffic collision, police said.
He is suspected of being under the influence of a controlled substance at the time of the incident.
Santagelo was later booked at San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence, fleeing the scene of a traffic collision, and felony assault on a police officer. Bail information was not immediately available in the Sheriff’s Office website.
The Paso Robles Police Department said its investigation is ongoing.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include information from the Paso Robles Police Department.
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 12:11 PM.
