Hollister
– A Los Banos man was arrested Thursday after a high-speed,
30-minute chase through San Benito County.
Benjamin Trinidad Lopez, 19, was arrested at 5pm Thursday on
suspicion of felony evading and assault, Hollister police Capt. Bob
Brooks said.
Hollister – A Los Banos man was arrested Thursday after a high-speed, 30-minute chase through San Benito County.
Benjamin Trinidad Lopez, 19, was arrested at 5pm Thursday on suspicion of felony evading and assault, Hollister police Capt. Bob Brooks said.
Brooks said Lopez tried to evade officers and also attempted to run over a police officer during the chase.
The chase began at about 4:30pm when a patrol officer saw a white 1999 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck with a missing tailgate run a stop sign at the intersection of Recht Street and Meridian Street, Brooks said. The officer pulled the truck over on Monte Carlo Drive, two blocks east of the initial traffic violation, he said.
As the officer got out of his patrol car and asked the driver to turn off the truck and roll down his window, the man put the truck into reverse and attempted to run down the officer, Brooks said.
When the officer jumped out of the way, the driver made a U-turn and drove toward the officer again, he said.
The officer got back into his patrol car and began to chase the pickup truck, Brooks said.
After briefly losing sight of the truck, the officer spotted the truck eastbound on Santa Ana Road, Brooks said. As the driver continued toward Fairview Road, he attempted to pass other vehicles but could not due to oncoming traffic, he said.
The driver then turned northbound onto Fairview, Brooks said, and then east bound onto Fallon Road, where the vehicle exceeded 70 mph.
The driver failed to stop at a stop sign while turning westbound onto Spring Grove Road, Brooks said, but finally stopped after turning back onto Fairview.
Lopez was released Friday from the San Benito County Jail on $55,000 bail. If convicted of evading a peace officer, Lopez could face up to one year in state prison.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
