Man Leads Police on Pursuit Through Santa Maria

by April Charlton , December 18, 2012

SANTA MARIA – A routine traffic stop turned into a high-speed pursuit late last week that ended with the driver’s arrest.

Santa Maria police officers attempted to stop Sergio Benny Castro, 21, on Friday, Dec. 14, for a routine traffic violation. However, instead of yielding to police, Castro sped off and led authorities on a high-speed pursuit through the north end of the city.

During the pursuit, Castro allegedly threw an item out of his vehicle, which was later recovered and identified as a loaded handgun, police said.

Castro eventually yielded to officers and was taken into custody without further incident. He was booked at the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s substation on charges of felony evading a police officer, possession of a firearm near school grounds and violation of his probation.

The 21-year-old is also facing charges of being a felon in possession of a handgun and possession of ammunition, according to police

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Man Leads Police on Pursuit Through Santa Maria was last modified: January 14th, 2019 by admin

Categories: Santa Barbara

Tags: police chase

About Author

April Charlton

April Charlton is a freelance journalist who specializes in criminal and local government matters. She has more than 11-plus years of experience as a reporter, covering everything from cops and courts to city and county governments. She writes for CrimeVoice and several newspapers on the Central Coast, including the Santa Maria Times, a daily publication, and its sister papers, Times Press Recorder and The Adobe Press. She may be reached at really_dawn@yahoo.com for any comments or suggestions that you may have.