Man in military transport leads SLO County deputies on chase before being arrested

LOS OSOS, Calif. – A man in a military style transport vehicle led San Luis Obispo County deputies on a wild pursuit Wednesday night before being arrested.

According to the sheriff's office, deputies received a report of a suspicious vehicle that was in a parking lot off Los Osos Valley Road in Los Osos. The report described this vehicle as the front portion or "cab" of a military style tractor-trailer.

Upon deputies' arrival, officials said the 63-year-old driver of the vehicle fled to Montana de Oro State Park, breaking through a gate, and ending up in the Sandspit Beach area.

With the assistance of multiple local law enforcement agencies, deputies were able to set up a perimeter around the truck and attempted to make contact with the suspect, but he refused commands to leave the truck.

Then, the Sheriff's Special Enforcement Detail (SED) arrived on scene, but again, the suspect refused to leave the truck. Only after the SED team introduced tear gas into the truck around 7:45 p.m., the 63-year-old from Los Angeles got out and was taken into custody.

Sheriff’s Detectives confirmed that the vehicle involved in yesterday’s pursuit was a M1070 Heavy Equipment Transport vehicle designed for the US military, valued at more than $500,000. The transport was manufactured earlier this year and is specifically used to transport the M1 Abrams tank.

Deputies say, it was stolen in transit before it was delivered to the military in Southern California.

According to the deputies, the vehicle was removed earlier today from the beach at Montana de Oro after it became stuck in the sand several times due to its weight and size.

The Sheriff’s Office was also assisted by the California State Parks and the California Army National Guard.

The investigation is ongoing, and the sheriff's office said no further information is available at this time.