A Grover Beach man led law enforcement officers on a pursuit that began in San Luis Obispo County and ended with a standoff in Santa Barbara County on Tuesday. 

San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a fight in Oceano, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Cipolla said.

“While en route, witnesses reported one of the men involved in the fight got into a vehicle and left the scene,” Cipolla said. “Deputies caught up to the suspect’s vehicle, which was driving erratically on Highway 1 and at times was driving on the wrong side of the road.”

When deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop of the vehicle in Oceano, the vehicle’s driver failed to yield and a pursuit began.

The Sheriff’s Office coordinated with California Highway Patrol officers to deploy a spike strip near Guadalupe. 

As a result of the spike strip, the vehicle was disabled near West Main Street and Simas Road east of Guadalupe. 

The suspect ignored repeated commands to exit the vehicle, so the sheriff’s Crisis Negotiation Team responded and spoke with the suspect for more than an hour, but he still refused to leave the vehicle.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office deputies also responded to the scene to assist. 

“Deputies decided to utilize less lethal force to remove the suspect and deployed pepper balls into the vehicle,” Cipolla said. “As a result, the suspect exited the vehicle and was arrested.”

The suspect, Jacob Epifanio Lopez, 43, of Grover Beach, was arrested on suspicion of reckless driving, failure to yield to law enforcement, evading arrest, and resisting arrest, Cipolla added.

The incident snarled traffic between Santa Maria and Guadalupe for a time Tuesday.