A local man was in custody Monday night after crashing his vehicle into a Santa Barbara police car while trying to elude capture.
The story began to unfold after police dispatchers began receiving calls of a nude driver cruising San Roque neighborhoods, occasionally getting out and committing lewd acts.
At 1:14 p.m., a witness driving at Alamar Avenue and Foothill Road reported that a man was standing in the street committing a lewd act. The witness said the man was completely nude, except for a red ballcap. The man got into a green 1995 Geo and drove away. The witness followed, called 9-1-1 and reported the suspect’s direction of travel.
When the suspect realized he was being followed, he sped up, running red lights and stop signs. He eluded the witness in the area of Calle Noguera.
Police responded to the registered owner’s address. Neither the suspect vehicle nor the suspect was there.
At 2:45 p.m., the suspect was reported to have driven past a day-care center in the 3800 block of Sunset Avenue. Several more calls came from witnesses in the area of Stacy Lane, Lincolnwood and La Cumbre Road. Again, the suspect was committing lewd acts.
An officer arrived and spotted the suspect vehicle on La Cumbre Road. He turned on his lights and siren, but the suspect did not yield. The suspect turned onto La Cumbre Hills Road, a short dead-end street. When he reached the cul-de-sac, his escape route was blocked by a police vehicle. He crashed into the police car, backed up and crashed into a fence. Another police car pulled up to seal any exit.
The suspect crashed into another parked car and attempted to get around the blockade by jumping the curb. As additional officers arrived on foot, the suspect swerved at them and crashed into a third parked vehicle before coming to rest in a planter.
The Geo sustained major damage. The suspect was taken into custody, then treated and released at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for a minor injury.
Police identified the suspect as Michael Jon Helman, 47. He was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of evading arrest amounting to a felony, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon for attempting to run over the officers, felony resisting arrest, possession of cocaine and a parole violation. Other charges may be pending. Helman was being held without bail.
— Lt. Paul McCaffrey is a public information officer for the Santa Barbara Police Department.