High-Speed Chase on Highway 101 Leads to Arrest of Armed Felon in Monterey County
On September 16, 2024, a routine traffic stop on northbound Highway 101 near Main Street escalated into a dramatic chase involving Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies and a fleeing suspect. The incident began around 6:30 PM when Deputy observed a vehicle, driven by 32-year-old Jose Carlos Garcia of Salinas, nearly causing a collision while merging onto the highway.
After being pulled over, Garcia admitted to possessing drug paraphernalia. A search initiated by deputies led Garcia to flee the scene on foot, running across the busy highway lanes twice before being apprehended south of Laurel Drive. The subsequent search of his vehicle uncovered two loaded handguns, one of which was reported stolen, and various quantities of narcotics including cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, all packaged for sale.
Garcia, a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, was taken into custody. Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto praised the deputies for their bravery and highlighted the significance of removing firearms from the hands of those prohibited from holding them, underlining the potential risk to community safety.
Charges against Garcia include possession of a firearm by a felon, possession for sales of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance with a loaded firearm, and other related offenses. He was booked into Monterey County Jail with bail set at $75,000.
