Suspect turns himself in after pursuit and crash
Ryan Villa-Lopez turned himself in Sunday night after fleeing from officers after a brief pursuit.
Villa-Lopez was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, evading police and hit and run. He was also booked for two misdemeanor warrants he previously had.
University Police officers and Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies were looking for a suspect who led them on a brief pursuit near UC Santa Barbara late Saturday night and into Sunday morning.
A black Ford Fusion was seen speeding and driving erratically in heavily populated areas in Isla Vista, coming close to hitting pedestrians. No one was hurt.
University Police called off the pursuit because of safety reasons and called additional units in to search for the vehicle.
The car crashed into the center divider at El Colegio Road and Embarcadero Del Norte causing part of the bumper and the front drivers-side tire to come off.
Deputies and UCPD officers found the car parked in Lot 30 across from the stadium on campus. The 14-year-old male passenger from Lompoc was found walking away from the vehicle on Stadium Road and deputies and officers held him at gunpoint until he was in custody. He was later released to his parents, said Sgt. Rob Romero of the University Police Department.
Police believed the second suspect is a 20-year-old male with two warrants for his arrest out of Lompoc.
The sheriff’s K-9 unit searched for the second suspect near UCSB and Isla Vista.
