Wrong-Way Driver Shot by Officers During Wild Goleta Pursuit
A suspect led California Highway Patrol officers on a wild pursuit Wednesday night. The chase came to an end when officers fired atthe suspect, hitting him once.
Lt. Butch Arnoldi with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department tells NewsChannel 3 the incident started about 8 p.m. when a CHP officer tried to pull over a wrong-way driver. That driver didn’t stop and took off with CHP officers and sheriff’s deputies in pursuit. The driver turned on Agana Drive, jumped the curb and came to a stop. Arnoldi said the driver then backed up and rammed the CHP unit.
The CHP officer fired several shots at the suspect and the deputy fired one shot. Thedriver was hit once and rushed to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A CHP official on the scene tells NewsChannel 3 it started when authorities were told to be on the lookout for a drunk driver in a red pickup truck near Calle Real and Patterson. Moments later, officers spotted the suspect and the pursuit began.
Resident Shayna Guigliano said she heard six gunshots and saw the red truck spin out. She said officers checked on the driver, removed him from the truck and put him in an ambulance. Guigliano said the ambulance left the scene without its emergency lights on.
No officers or deputies involved in the shooting were hurt.
