A murder suspect was arrested Sunday after the vehicle in which he was riding was involved in a police chase from Santa Maria to Guadalupe, according to the Santa Maria Police Department.
Joseph Munoz, 35, of Oceano, was taken into custody in connection with a slaying that occurred late Friday in Oceano.
Munoz was in a vehicle that was spotted in Santa Maria at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday by Santa Maria officers, who were working with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department, Santa Maria police Sgt. Dan Cohen said.
The vehicle fled, and officers followed in a pursuit that lasted more than 20 minutes and spanned 28 miles, Cohen said.
He said the vehicle pulled over in a residential neighborhood in Guadalupe, and the three occupants were arrested without incident.
In addition to being a suspect in the killing, Munoz was wanted for violating his parole, Cohen said.
He was booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail.
The driver of the vehicle, Cassandra Deleon, 24, of Santa Maria, will face charges of felony evading arrest in Santa Barbara County, and was taken into custody by San Luis Obispo authorities on unspecified charges.
Stacy Araujo, 42, of Santa Maria, another passenger in the vehicle, also was taken into custody on unspecified charges, Cohen said.
— 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.