A drunken driver led police on a vehicle chase north of Hollister before crashing into another car, sending two people to area hospitals with injuries, according to authorities.
The pursuit began shortly after 7:33pm April 7, when Hollister Police received multiple calls about a driver whose vehicle had collided with a fence near the intersection of Flynn Road and San Felipe Road, according to Hollister Police Sgt. Bo Leland. The driver appeared to be impaired.
As officers were responding to the site of the initial calls, police learned from a passerby that the driver had moved the vehicle to an area near the San Benito County Jail at Flynn Road and Highway 25, Leland said.
When the first arriving officer located the parked suspect vehicle and attempted to detain the driver, the car sped away, police said. A short pursuit occurred as the driver fled northbound on Highway 25.
The pursuit ended when the suspect driver, Rodrigo Guerrero, collided with a vehicle in the area of Highway 25 and 156, Leland said. Guerrero exited his vehicle and continued to try to get away, this time fleeing on foot.
Guerrero ran about 200 yards from the collision scene into a field before officers caught up and apprehended him, according to Leland.
One of the occupants of the vehicle Guerrero collided with was flown to an area trauma center with injuries, Leland said. Another occupant was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Guerrero “refused to cooperate with field sobriety tests,” Leland said. Police obtained a search warrant to sample the suspect’s blood, and he was subsequently booked at the county jail on suspicion of felony evading, felony hit and run and felony DUI causing great bodily injury.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the collision at Highway 25 and 156.
