Davis Man Arrested in Los Altos After 4-County High-Speed Pursuit by CHP

by Brian Elsasser , March 20, 2015

It all began with an attempted routine traffic stop for speeding, by a CHP officer at about 2 pm on Wednesday, March 18 on Interstate 80 in Vacaville, near the I-505 interchange.

Instead of pulling over, Ramon Bernal, 24 and a resident of Davis, accelerated south on Interstate 80. Beyond Fairfield, he turned onto I-680 and sped further south, allegedly reaching speeds upwards of 95 miles per hour. Pursuing officers followed him through Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

Just prior to the crash, Bernal drives on nothing but rims, and then rotors. (Still frame from YouTube – Daily Mail/Reuters)

Finally, in Los Altos, Bernal was forced to a halt by a spike strip that CHP officers had laid across the I-280 roadway in anticipation of his arrival. After the tires of his Nissan Pathfinder were shredded, the SUV flipped onto the freeway’s central median. Bernal was, however, able to leave the vehicle unaided before he was arrested. Video of the final crash is posted on YouTube.

He was medically cleared at an area hospital before being lodged in the Santa Clara County Jail on charges of evading a peace officer and driving under the influence of drugs authorities declined to specify.