Police Pursuit Ends with Collision in Guadalupe

SANTA MARIA – A lengthy police pursuit through city streets and into neighboring Guadalupe Friday evening ended with the suspected driver crashing his vehicle and spending his weekend behind bars at Santa Barbara County Jail.

Tyler Thompson

Just before 11 p.m. on April 5, police observed a vehicle traveling eastbound on Stowell Road, just west of College Drive, without the use of any lights.  When an officer attempted to stop the vehicle, a newer Honda Accord, it failed to yield and fled at a high rate of speed, police said.

The suspect, later identified as Tyler Thompson, 20, of Santa Maria, led officers on a lengthy pursuit throughout numerous streets in the city, eventually driving onto westbound Main Street and heading toward the City of Guadalupe.  After fleeing into Guadalupe, Thompson lost control of his vehicle, struck an embankment and rolled the car several times.

When officers approached the vehicle, they discovered Thompson had his 20-year-old girlfriend, Flor Navarro, and their two-year-old child in the car during the pursuit, which officers didn’t know at the time.  The child was fastened in a child safety seat, police said.

After the collision, all three individuals were transported to the Marian Regional Medical Center, where Thompson and Navarro were treated for moderate injuries. The toddler did not sustain any significant injuries in the crash and was released from the hospital.

Thompson was arrested and booked into County Jail for two outstanding felony warrants, felony evading and felony child endangerment. Navarro was admitted to the hospital for her injuries, but may also face felony child endangerment charges, police said.

Read More:

KSBY: One Arrested after Car Chase in Santa Maria

Santa Maria Times: Man in High-Speed Chase Pursuit had Toddler in Car

Police Pursuit Ends with Collision in Guadalupe was last modified: January 14th, 2019 by admin
Categories: Santa Barbara

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.