Driver arrested at gun point after pursuit
A driver is in custody after being detained at gunpoint after starting a car chase Thursday.
The chase began in Carpinteria. Donald Espinoza of Oxnard was taken into custody on Mission Street in Santa Barbara.
A sheriff spokesperson said the pursuit started around 2 p.m. as a “failure to yield” case. The chase stayed within the speed limit.
Traffic on Mission Street was shut down for a few minutes while the driver was arrested without any problems.
Full press release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff:
An Oxnard man was arrested Thursday afternoon after being pursued by deputies from Carpinteria to the City of Santa Barbara. The pursuit was initiated by a Sheriff’s Sergeant shortly after 2:00pm, when the sergeant witnessed a road rage incident between a silver Ford F-150 and another vehicle. The sergeant determined the driver of the F-150 was the aggressor and attempted to make a traffic stop. The driver, later identified as Donald Angel Espinosa (DOB: 12/11/1971), refused to yield and continued driving north on Highway 101, traveling 55-60 mph.
Espinosa exited the freeway at Mission Street and drove north. He finally pulled over near the intersection of Bath and Mission Streets. Deputies ordered the man to exit the vehicle at gunpoint not knowing if the driver was armed or dangerous. A male adult passenger in the vehicle was detained, but later released without charges.
Espinosa was arrested for 11350(a) H&S – Possession of Controlled Substance, 23222(b) California Vehicle Code (CVC) – Possession of Marijuana in vehicle, 14601.2 CVC – Driving on a suspended Drivers License, 2800.1 CVC – Failure to yield to peace officer, (3) total warrants out of Ventura County for Probation Violation for a total of $95,000. Espinosa was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail.
