Three people were arrested and another person remains outstanding in connection with a high-speed vehicle pursuit that occurred Wednesday morning on State Route 246 near Buellton, authorities said.
At approximately 11:24 a.m. Wednesday, a sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop a tan Toyota Camry for speeding near the roundabout at the 246 and Purisima Road.
The driver failed to yield and accelerated to speeds near 100 mph and headed towards Buellton, passing vehicles on the wrong side of the roadway, Raquel Zick, spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, said in a news release.
At the intersection of the 246 and Avenue of the Flags, the vehicle turned north and was involved in a minor collision. The driver made a u-turn a short way down Avenue of the Flags and turned back onto the 246 and was involved in another minor collision.
At the time of the second collision, deputies terminated the pursuit due to public safety concerns, Ms. Zick said.
The suspect vehicle continued through Buellton after the pursuit was terminated. About 30 minutes later, deputies were alerted that several people in the area of Skytt Mesa Drive called 9-1-1 to report suspects fleeing from a tan Camry. As deputies arrived on the scene, several suspects fled the area in different directions. Within a few minutes, one suspect was arrested.
At approximately 12:07 p.m., authorities issued a shelter in place for residents near Skytt Mesa Drive and Hans Christian Andersen Park as deputies searched for the remaining suspects. Two additional suspects were arrested within 10 minutes.
Deputies, along with a sheriff’s K9 unit and County Air Support searched the area for the remaining. The shelter in place was lifted at approximately 12:50 p.m., as it was believed that the outstanding suspect was no longer in the immediate area, Ms. Zick said.
One of the suspects involved had an outstanding warrant, though because they are a juvenile their identity was withheld. Jasen Robles, 24, of Santa Maria, had an outstanding warrant for a stolen vehicle and robbery. The third suspect, 20-year-old Maya Winters, of Santa Maria, was also arrested.
The fourth suspect is described as a Latino man with facial hair who was wearing a dark hoodie. Anyone with information about the identity of the outstanding suspect is asked to call 805-681-4100. To leave an anonymous tip, call 805-681-4171 or visit www.sbsheriff.org/anonymous-tip/.
email: mwhite@newspress.com
