A wanted man who was driving erratically, allegedly under the influence of drugs and alcohol, was pursued on Highway 101 from south of Carpinteria to west of Goleta Wednesday night before being taken into custody, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
The incident began shortly before 9 p.m. in Ventura County, according to Kelly Hoover, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.
Christopher Franchi, 52, of Ventura was being pursued by officers from the Ventura Police Department in connection with a domestic disturbance in their area, Hoover said.
The Ventura officers ended their chase when Franchi approached the Santa Barbara County line, at which point Santa Barbara deputies took over.
“Franchi began to drive erratically, making sudden lane changes, and he appeared to intentionally drive toward other cars on the roadway,” Hoover said.
The vehicle was towing a small, flatbed trailer.
With emergency lights activated, a deputy attempted to make a traffic stop on Franchi near Summerland, but he failed to yield and continued driving at about 50 mph.
“Franchi continued to make abrupt lane changes, veering from side to side, intentionally driving toward other cars on the roadway, and appearing as if he were trying to make the cargo trailer that he was hauling come off of the hitch,” Hoover said.
About 30 minutes later, a spike strip was deployed by the California Highway Patrol near the Glen Annie Road exit in Goleta, Hoover said, and the vehicle’s front tires were destroyed.
Franchi continued driving on the rims, at a slower speed, for about another three miles until he finally pulled over near Dos Pueblos Ranch.
“After stopping, sheriff’s deputies gave commands to Franchi to exit his vehicle,” Hoover said. “Franchi refused to exit the vehicle. He made statements about being armed, and threatened to hurt deputies and himself. Franchi eventually exited his vehicle, but remained uncooperative and refused to obey commands.”
Franchi, who Hoover said was believed to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol, was eventually taken into custody with the help of a K-9 team.
He sustained minor injuries from the dog, and was taken by AMR ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
Franchi subsequently was arrested and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of making criminal threats, assault with a deadly weapon, recklessly evading an officer, resisting arrest, and driving while license auspended for DUI.
He remained in custody Thursday afternoon, with bail set at $75,000.
Highway 101 was closed in both direction for a short time while deputies arrested Franchi and collected evidence.
No other injuries were reported in the incident.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
