Police Chase Suspect is Identified

The suspect has been identified as 37-year-old Robert Padilla Reyes from Santa Maria.Reyes allegedly got out of his car with a replica handgun was shot to death by police at the end of an hour-long police chase last Thursday evening. Investigators say two motorists called 911 after the suspect pointed a weapon at them.Police say they spotted the suspect’s vehicle and tried to pull it over but the driver sped away instead. The pursuit lasted about one hour. The suspect allegedly led officers on a chase at high speeds from Santa Maria into San Luis Obispo County and then back into the Santa Maria area. The pursuit finally ended along Highway 1 just west of Orcutt on Black Road at seven p.m.A spike strip on Highway 1 disabled the vehicle. Investigators say the suspect was shot when he got out of the car and confronted officers with a weapon that turned out to be a replica handgun.No officers were injured during the incident. The Santa Maria Police Department was the only agency involved in the shooting. Since the incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff”s Office, the Sheriff’s Office is the lead investigating agency.This is the seventh officer involved shooting incident in Santa Barbara County this year alone. The most recent fatal shooting just happened Monday night also in Santa Maria.This shooting also comes just 24 hours after embattled Santa Maria Police Chief Dan Macagni was placed on administrative leave.