Long, Wild Car Chase Ends at Chumash Casino

A person driving a silver Toyota Tacoma with felony warrants and a possible sawed off-shotgun has been leading authorities on a high-speed chase throughout Santa Barbara County since about 11 p.m. Tuesday night. According to chatter from a police scanner, the pursuit started somewhere near Toro Canyon Road between Montecito and Carpinteria before the driver turned north on 101 and made his way onto the surface streets of downtown Santa Barbara.

The chase then turned up Highway 154, exceeding 70 miles an hour over the Santa Ynez Mountains, where the suspect allegedly tossed something from the vehicle. It continued down into the Santa Ynez Valley, where the California Highway Patrol laid a spike strip near Highway 246.

The driver hit the strip at 90 mph, turned left on Highway 246 as the tires started to go flat, and entered the Chumash Casino property, where authorities called on the casino security to shut down entrances.

Slightly after midnight, the situation came to a close, but no additional details are known at this time.