Richard Joe Hanson
The Grover Beach Police arrested a man after he allegedly tried to run over an officer last Thursday night, October 22. According to GBPD, one of their officers saw a suspicious truck occupied by a male. The driver backed the vehicle into a driveway of a residence in the 1100 block of Farroll Road.
When the officer approached the truck at about 11:30 pm, the driver accelerated the truck and drove it toward the officer.
Although the officer was nearly struck, he was able to jump out of the way in time. The driver, later identified as Richard Joe Hanson, 38, a transient, led officers on a chase through the areas of Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande and Oceano.
Hanson then drove northbound on Highway 101 at speeds up to 90 miles per hour before heading toward Atascadero, where officers successfully deployed a spike strip. He was forced to exit the highway and came to a stop on El Camino Real at San Rafael Street where he was taken into custody.
According to GBPD, there were no accidents or injuries resulting from this incident. GBPD was assisted by officers from the Arroyo Grande Police, Pismo Beach Police, CHP, Atascadero Police departments and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
Hanson was arrested for felony evading an officer, felony attempted assault with a dead weapon on an officer, driving under the influence of drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving on a suspended license, probation violation and for having a no-bail felony warrant. He was transported and booked at the San Luis Obispo County Jail with no bail set.
When Hanson was arrested in July of this year on an outstanding warrant, he was living in a Grover Beach apartment on Longbranch Avenue, about 3 blocks from Grover Beach Elementary School. The warrant was related to several previous arrests in 2014 for drug and paraphernalia possession, drug sales, and driving on a suspended license by Atascadero Police. Earlier records show that Hanson was arrested in 2008 for driving under the influence, and in 2009 for possession of a controlled substance, a hypodermic needle, and failure to appear in court. He lived in Oceano at that time.
