After leading police on a high-speed pursuit through South County in a stolen vehicle, a 33-year-old Santa Barbara man who was on parole for auto theft was taken into custody on Tuesday.
Just before 10 a.m., a “sharp-eyed” community service office spotted a stolen car driving through the city, according to a Facebook post from the Grover Beach Police Department.
The vehicle was later discovered by patrol police at a Pismo Beach petrol station on Five Cities Drive.
“As officers approached, the driver — clearly not a fan of awkward conversations — he decided to hit the gas instead of filling up with it,” the post said.
According to the post, a chase that reached speeds of over 100 mph began on southbound Highway 101.
Because of safety concerns, police cancelled the pursuit near Los Berros Road.
“But from a safe distance, they watched the vehicle exit the highway, lose control, and roll over — because karma has a lead foot too,” the post said.
It was eventually determined that the driver was Santa Barbara resident Steven Oscar Gonzalez, 33. According to the post, he was taken into jail without any additional incidents and only sustained minor injuries.
The vehicle was reported stolen from Paso Robles, according to the Police Department.
It was anticipated that Gonzalez, who at the time was under post-release community supervision for car theft, would face a new charge of car theft and evasion, the post stated.
According to the Sheriff’s Office’s Who’s in Custody website, Gonzalez was being held at the San Luis Obispo County Jail as of Tuesday night, with a $50,000 bail amount.
