This morning a Santa Barbara man driving a Honda CRV was killed when he collided with a tractor-trailer on Highway 101.
At about 1:50 a.m. a two-officer California Highway Patrol unit was patrolling northbound on Highway 101 at Mission Street when the officers observed a gray Honda CRV entering the 101 from Mission Street just ahead of them.
The Honda immediately drove into the left lane and accelerated to 85-90 mph. The officers gave chase, and the Honda accelerated to 110-120 mph.
The chase went on from Highway 154 to Glen Annie Road, a distance of approximately seven miles. About a half-mile north of Glen Annie Road, officers said, the Honda changed from the left lane to the right (#2) lane, which was occupied by a 1994 Freightliner tractor-trailer rig approximately 300 feet ahead.
Officers said the Honda, without attempting to brake, slammed into the rear of the truck.
The driver of the Honda, Ryan Nicholas Hofmann, 20, of Santa Barbara, was killed instantly. The driver of the truck, Juan Jose Flores, 47, of Bakersfield was uninjured.
Flores was traveling from southern California to San Luis Obispo to pick up a load of cargo when the truck was struck by the Honda. Neither vehicle carried passengers and no other vehicles were involved.
The Highway Patrol and the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Department are investigating the crash.