A police pursuit on Thursday that began in Pismo Beach ended in Orcutt, where a man crashed a stolen vehicle in a parking lot and ran through a second-story apartment before being taken into custody.
The incident began when Pismo Beach Police Department officers attempted to stop a vehicle with a mechanical violation, but the driver failed to yield, California Highway Patrol Officer Matthew Kenny said.
CHP officers from the San Luis Obispo office joined the high-speed pursuit as the black SUV drove south on Highway 101 and exited in Nipomo, going through the town before traveling southbound on Thompson Road where it dead-ends at Highway 166 near the onramp to Highway 101.
Santa Maria area CHP officers took over the pursuit as it continued southbound on Highway 101, where the driver exited at Clark Avenue, crossed over the freeway and entered northbound Highway 101.
The driver, Stephan Alan Brewer, 29, of Fresno, again left the freeway at Santa Maria Way and turned south onto Bradley Road before going east on Foster Road.
“H-70, our CHP helicopter, was above the pursuit at all times, and was able to give us direction on where he was going,” Kenny said.
While on Foster, the driver turned left onto Cedarhurst Drive and went into a parking lot where he struck a classic car — a 1964 Chevrolet Malibu — and crashed when driving over a curb, coming to rest against a telephone pole near a brick wall.
“He exited the vehicle and ran into the apartment complex, up the stairs and entered an occupied residence,” Kenny said. “Our officers followed him up the stairs, and he then went through the residence, jumped out the second-story window and landed on the ground below, where he was taken into custody.”
The man kicked in the door, knocking it off the hinges, as he entered the apartment and pushed out the screen as he fled, the CHP said.
A CHP officer used a stun gun to take Brewer into custody, the CHP said Thursday evening.
CHP officers later determined the man was driving a stolen Ford Expedition out of Santa Maria.
“I’m assuming that he thought the officer was wise to that instead of just the mechanical violation,” Kenny said.
As the pursuit traveled through the quiet neighborhood, CHP officers used loud speakers to instruct residents of nearby condos and apartments to remain in their homes.
The driver was taken by ambulance to Marian Regional Medical Center for assessment, and was booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of felony reckless evading, vehicle theft, probation violation and entering a dwelling.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.