Alleged Gang Fight Leads to Car Chase

An alleged gang fight led to a very real car chase Monday night.

Immediately following the brawl in the 1200 block of East Mason Street, reported police, a silver-colored sedan was spotted fleeing the scene, driving westbound on Mason Street. A police officer responded to the call and — after identifying the three occupants as suspects in the fight — attempted to pull the car over for a traffic stop. The driver failed to stop, and the chase began.

The suspects’ car, said a police spokesperson, sped north on Milpas and then west on Gutierrez Street, running red lights and stop signs in the process. At one point, the car drove on the wrong side of the street. Shortly thereafter, said the spokesperson, the chase ended when the suspect vehicle crashed into a streetlight on the corner of Gutierrez and Chapala streets.

The chase then continued on foot. Officers were able to apprehend the three suspects, all of whom are 18-year-old males. One of the men was tackled, and another one was Tasered. One sustained a facial injury in the crash. All three were taken into custody for resisting arrest, and two have been booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail.

The names of suspects are being withheld as the investigation is ongoing, said the spokesperson.