It all started here
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY – Gerald Richards, a 31-year-old resident of Goleta, was filling his red Mercedes at a Solvang area gas station on January 4th, just 14 hours after he had been contacted at The Chumash Casino and arrested for possession of heroin and for being under the influence of a controlled substance.
According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, the following afternoon Richards was observed having a verbal argument with the gas station attendant, whereupon he “jumped into his car and sped off with the gas nozzle still in the vehicle.”
At that point the gas station employee summoned law enforcement and reported the Mercedes’ direction as heading south on U.S. 101. Shortly thereafter, CHP units appeared in the Mercedes’ mirrors, but Richards failed to yield or come to a halt.
Within minutes, Richards lost control of his car and crashed off the freeway just south of the City of Buellton.
At that point, CHP units and deputies descended upon the crash scene, extricated Richards from his Mercedes, and placed him under arrest. During this process, all southbound lanes of U.S. 101 were closed to permit Santa Barbara County Fire Department crews to stabilize the vehicle and prevent any potential hazard to passing motorists.
Richards’motives for leading deputies on a high speed chase remain “under investigation and at this point it is unclear why the driver fled,” Hoover reported. Richards was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where he was booked on charges of felony evading, felony vandalism, and driving under the influence.
