The California Highway Patrol on Friday afternoon, August 7th, arrested a man who allegedly stole a car and led them in pursuit in Santa Maria, California. Daniel Emilio RuizMedina, 26, would need a top accident lawyer’s service.
The chase began at about 11:35 a.m. after the CHP received a report of a stolen car traveling northbound on Highway 101. Officers located the Honda with RuizMedina behind the wheel on the freeway at Gaviota State Beach. They activated their lights at Damasa in the Buellton area to get the man to pull over.
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The suspect traveled at 95 miles per hour and suddenly stopped the vehicle in the center median. He alighted and fled across the southbound lane of the freeway on foot. He entered a neighborhood on Jonata Park Road, where he allegedly found a flatbed Chevrolet truck with keys in the ignition.
RuizMedina entered the vehicle, crashed through a fence, and fatally struck the owner’s cat. The CHP said that he reentered the freeway, heading north at speeds over 100 miles per hour. The officers assessed the danger the pursuit posed because of the man’s speed, pulled back, and called in a helicopter.
The officers set up a spike strip on Cat Canyon Road, but the suspect evaded it, and multiple vehicles had to swerve to avoid a collision with him. He ultimately stopped the Chevrolet on Industrial Parkway and went into one of the buildings to pass himself off as an employee.
Officers found RuizMedina wearing a reflective vest and headset and arrested him on felony charges. They booked him into the Santa Barbara County Jail, and there’s no information on his bail. The CHP did not record any injuries.
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