A California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer suffered moderate injuries after attempting to stop a driver of a stolen vehicle. The vehicle was previously reported driving the wrong direction.
The northbound lanes of Highway 101 were closed for just over four hours Monday afternoon, stalling traffic between Carpinteria and Ventura.
The delay came after a police pursuit of a wrong-way driver.
A red Mazda moving north in the southbound lanes of Highway 101 was first reported in Ventura. A California Highway Patrol officer, travelling south, passed the driver near the Casitas Pass Road exit in Carpinteria.
The male driver and sole occupant of the Mazda, which the CHP reported was a stolen vehicle, exited onto Casitas Pass before re-entering Highway 101 and traveling north in the northbound lanes.
A CHP motorcycle officer attempted to make a traffic stop, but the driver did not pull over.
Instead, the driver abruptly stopped, causing a three-vehicle collision with the motorcycle officer and a Jeep Grand Cherokee on Highway 101.
The driver was arrested on scene on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle and was evaluated at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for minor injuries.
The CHP officer suffered moderate injuries, and the female driver and sole occupant of the Jeep was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with minor injuries.
The collision remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Officer Shannan Sams at the CHP’s Santa Barbara area office at 805-967-1234.
email: ahanshaw@newspress.com
