Shooting suspect leads police on high-speed chase before crashing in Morro Bay
A shooting suspect led police on a high-speed chase through San Luis Obispo County on Monday evening, before crashing in Morro Bay.
According to Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Cipolla, a male victim was shot with non-life-threatening wounds around 6 p.m. on San Luis Bay Drive in Avila Beach.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect in the shooting as 53-year-old John Salazar, of Los Osos.
According to a news release, Salazar was seen fighting with another man at a home in the 1200 block of San Luis Bay Drive on Monday evening. Salazar allegedly pulled a gun on the other man and shot him multiple times.
The other man was able to flee the scene and transport himself to a local hospital with non-life-threatening wounds, according to the release.
A medical emergency call was made in that area at 6:13 p.m. according to emergency response app, PulsePoint.
Cipolla said that CHP located Salazar, and a pursuit began.
The car chase wound through the Los Osos Valley to Morro Bay. At one point speeds reached an excess of 90 miles per hour, according to police scanner traffic.
The chase ended on Highway 1 in Morro Bay when the suspect crashed into another vehicle at an intersection at the north end of town.
Witnesses told The Tribune Salazar’s car hit a silver four-door Honda Fit as the Honda was turning left on Yerba Buena Street.
The crash occurred at 6:23 p.m, according to PulsePoint.
Jay Thompson, who was attempting to cross the road with a friend at the time of the crash, said he saw the car wind between several other vehicles before slamming into the front end of the silver Honda.
He said the suspect’s car rolled at least once before coming to a rest about 75 feet off the road.
Police vehicles immediately surrounded Salazar’s car with guns drawn, and Thompson went to go help the woman who had been driving the silver Honda, he said.
According to Thompson, the woman, who he identified only as Debbie, was cut up and shaken but did not appear badly injured.
Her dog, Sammy, who was also in the car, “went through it like a champ” and seemed unharmed, Thompson noted.
Cipolla said the suspect was taken into custody after the crash. He said further details will be released later tonight.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, Morro Bay Police Department, California Highway Patrol and California State Parks were all on scene of the crash.
A helicopter was also called out during the chase.
As of 7 p.m., the area was blocked off, and traffic on Highway 1 was temporarily at a standstill for about half a mile, but was slowly resuming normal.
This story was originally published May 18, 2020 at 7:54 PM.
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