A vehicle pursuit that stretched from Santa Maria to Guadalupe ended in a rollover crash that injured two people Friday night, according to the Santa Maria Police Department.
The driver of the vehicle, Tyler Thompson, 20, of Lompoc, subsequently was arrested on a number of felony charges, said Sgt. Terry Flaa.
The incident began shortly before 11 p.m., when an officer observed Thompson’s Honda Accord traveling with its lights off eastbound on Stowell Road, near College Drive, Flaa said.
When the officer tried to make a traffic stop on Thompson, Flaa said the suspect fled at a high rate of speed.
After racing along several city streets, Thompson headed west on Main Street toward Guadalupe, Flaa said, then toward the Guadalupe Dunes.
“Thompson lost control of his vehicle, at which time he struck an embankment, which caused the vehicle to roll several times,” Flaa said.
That’s when officers discovered that Thompson’s girlfriend, Flor Navarro, 20 of Lompoc, also was in the vehicle, along with her 2-year-old child, who was buckled into a carseat.
All three were taken to Marian Regional Medical Center, where Thompson and Navarro were treated for moderate injuries, Flaa said.
The child was uninjured and was released from the hospital.
Thompson was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of felony evading and felony child endangerment, and on two outstanding felony warrants.
Navarro, who remained hospitalized, may also face child-endangerment charges, Flaa 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.