Police identify man who fled arrest warrants, hid in SLO County garage
A man who allegedly ran from police across Highway 101 and hid in an Arroyo Grande home on Friday was identified by police on Monday.
Mario Daniel Castilleja, 34, was booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail after the incident on Friday, Arroyo Grande Police Department Senior Officer Elia Esparza said.
On Friday afternoon, police officers recognized Castilleja at a hotel across Highway 101. He had a warrant out for his arrest, Sgt. Jeff Corral told The Tribune on Friday.
When officers attempted to make contact with Castilleja, he fled across Highway 101 on foot.
Corral said with the help of numerous other local law enforcement agencies and a drone, officers were able to set up a perimeter and see Castilleja in the backyard of a home on Orchard Street.
“With further drone search of the backyard, we noticed there was windows open, so believed that he made entry into the house,” Corral said.
Corral said law enforcement at the scene were then “able to clear the residence and contact him in the garage and take him into custody.”
There were no reported injuries to officers, though Castilleja did state he may have had a seizure while inside the house, Corral said. He was transported to a local hospital to receive medical evaluation, Corral said.
On Monday, Castilleja was in custody at San Luis Obispo County Jail with no bail for four listed charges: violation of post release community supervision, issuance of a warrant for failure to comply with supervised release, resisting and obstructing a police officer and attempting to enter a dwelling without authorization, according to the Sheriff’s booking log.
Arroyo Grande High School was briefly under a “secure in place” order on Friday due to the police activity, and residents in the neighborhood of West Cherry Avenue, Arroyo Avenue, Pilgrim Way and Orchard Street were briefly told to shelter in place during the incident.
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