Female Car Thief Leads Cops on Chase from Chase Park
August 17 – Santa Barbara
It was a perfect “night in paradise” at Santa Barbara’s Chase Palm Park where the balmy weather had provided the perfect backdrop for an open-air concert on the night of August 16th.
Rihanna Gonzales
According to Santa Barbara Police Department spokesman Sgt. Tod Johnson, following the concert, at approximately 10:00 p.m., a 1998 Volvo station wagon “with the keys in the ignition” was being loaded with concert sound system equipment. When the owner left the vehicle momentarily to retrieve more cargo, Rhianna Gonzales, 31, allegedly entered the vehicle and summarily drove away.
The owner of the vehicle—at this point containing over $10,000 in sound equipment–promptly called 911 Emergency to report the theft. As noted by Sgt. Johnson’s report to the media, “the vehicle was observed entering the 101 freeway northbound”, whereupon a traffic stop was attempted by multiple SBPD units.
Chase Palm Park
“The suspect failed to yield at that time,’ Johnson reported, and California Highway Patrol responders joined a freeway-speed pursuit of the Volvo. Approximately five miles later, Gonzalez attempted to depart the freeway at the Los Carneros offramp in Goleta, whereupon CHP units brought the suspect vehicle to a halt.
Faced with multiple CHP and SBPD officers who may well have been less than pleased to have had their otherwise pleasant summer evening shift interrupted thusly, Gonzales was quickly taken into custody without further ado. She was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail and booked on vehicular felony grand theft, where she remains on $75,000 bail as well as a no-bail hold pursuant to an outstanding probation violation.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
Read more:
keyt.com: Woman Steals Car, Leads Officers On High Speed Chase
Noozhawk: Woman Arrested After Car Theft, Police Chase
