A Lompoc man was arrested following a pursuit through parts of Santa Maria and Nipomo Wednesday afternoon.
According to the California Highway Patrol, it happened around 11:45 a.m. when a CHP officer recognized a stolen vehicle out of Santa Barbara and tried to pull over the driver after running the license plates.
Officer Maria Barriga, the public information officer for the Santa Maria area CHP, says the driver entered northbound Highway 101 at Broadway in Santa Maria, driving between speeds of 70 to 90 mph, before exiting at Willow Road in Nipomo.
The driver then reportedly headed westbound on Willow and ran some stop signs before turning onto Division Street, according to Officer Barriga.
The driver, identified as Vincent Romero, 41, of Lompoc, began driving past Oso Flaco prior to Highway 1 and made a left turn into farm fields where the vehicle then went down a soft dirt berm and became stuck, Officer Barriga said, adding that a screwdriver was found stuck in the ignition.
Romero was arrested and faces charges relating to stealing a vehicle and for the pursuit.
Officer Barriga says he was taken to the hospital to get checked out and cleared before being booked into the northern branch jail.
During the pursuit, Officer Barriga says Romero’s passenger called 911 and identified both of them by name before saying they were trying to get to Romero’s mother’s home in Lompoc. Barriga said they did request Lompoc police go to the address provided by the suspect to check on the mother. She did not know the outcome.
