High-speed car chase on Highway 101 ends in SLO with spike strip, arrest, CHP says
A high-speed car chase that began with an apparent carjacking in Santa Maria ended in San Luis Obispo after California Highway Patrol officers used a spike strip to stop the suspect’s car, according to CHP Sgt. Robert MacLean.
The Santa Maria Police Department initially informed CHP officers they were following a vehicle driven by a man wanted for assault with a deadly weapon, MacLean told The Tribune.
At around 3 p.m., police received reports of a man prowling through backyards in the area of Leona Street in northeastern Santa Maria. About 15 minutes later, a man matching the same description reportedly forced a woman out of her car near Lesley Court, police said.
The man drove from there onto northbound Highway 101, where Santa Maria police followed him until CHP backup arrived.
The CHP started tracking the car on northbound Highway 101 at El Campo Road in Nipomo, MacLean said.
CHP officers tried to pull over the car, a Black Jeep Cherokee, at Fourth Street in Pismo Beach but the driver “failed to yield,” MacLean said.
MacLean said the car continued on the highway at speeds to “up 90 to 100 mph, in and out of traffic” until it reached Los Osos Valley Road.
There, a CHP officer deployed a spike strip that caused the vehicle’s front left tire to blow, MacLean said. The vehicle came to a stop just north of Prado Road.
MacLean said the suspect, who had not been publicly identified as of Thursday afternoon, was then taken into custody on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, driving stolen vehicle and reckless evasion during pursuit.
This story was originally published May 18, 2023 at 5:00 PM with the headline "High-speed car chase on Highway 101 ends in SLO with spike strip, arrest, CHP says."
