Drunk driver arrested after chase on Highway 101, CHP says
A drunk driver led California Highway Patrol officers on a chase on Highway 101 on Tuesday, an agency spokesperson said.
The woman, 38, was initially spotted around 2 p.m. Tuesday “recklessly driving” a purple 2018 Jeep Wrangler in Orcutt, CHP Officer Maria Barriga said.
The woman, who Barriga did not name, drove past two CHP officers who were recovering a gun from the southbound side of the highway north of Santa Maria Way, Barriga said, and they recognized her Jeep from a police report.
The officers then saw the driver stop in the middle of the lane before continuing, Barriga said.
According to Barriga, the CHP officers followed the woman’s Jeep at about 70 miles per hour with their emergency lights activated, signaling to her to pull over.
The woman then started “erratically” braking her car, Barriga said.
At one point, she stepped on the brakes so quickly that one of the officers driving a motorcycle almost collided with her Jeep, the CHP said.
The woman appeared not to notice the CHP officers, according to Barriga.
“She was just oblivious that they were even around, probably due to her intoxication,” Barriga said.
The woman made a right turn off of Highway 101 near the intersection with Highway 166 in Santa Maria, and stopped her vehicle, according to the CHP.
Officers then ordered the woman to get out of the Jeep at gunpoint, the CHP said.
According to Barriga, officers discovered that the woman was driving under the influence of alcohol without a driver’s license.
The unidentified woman was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on Tuesday, according to Barriga.
No one was injured during the chase, the CHP said.
