California Highway Patrol

On March 18, 2010 at 11:09 pm, Ventura Area CHP officers were involved in a high speed vehicle pursuit.

Two Ventura Area CHP officers were traveling southbound on US-101 north of Victoria Ave. when a gold GMC Sierra pickup truck passed their patrol car traveling at 85 mph with no lights on. The officers attempted to make a traffic stop on the pickup truck. The driver failed to yield to the officers and continued traveling south on US-101 at a high rate of speed before exiting at Vineyard Ave. The driver turned left on Vineyard Ave. failing to stop at a red light. The pickup traveled north on Vineyard Ave. and turned right on Simon Way. The pickup truck traveled on numerous residential streets in the El Rio area running stop signs at 50 mph. During the pursuit in the El Rio area, the pickup sustained a flat right rear tire after striking a curb. The pickup truck traveled westbound on Simon Way and turned left on Vineyard Ave.

As the pickup truck turned left on Vineyard Ave., the driver lost control due to the flat tire. The pickup truck spun around and stopped facing northbound in the southbound #2 lane on Vineyard Ave. It began traveling northbound in the southbound lane when a second CHP unit intentionally struck the right rear side of the pickup truck in an effort to terminate the pursuit. The pickup truck spun around and came to a complete stop before driver of the pickup accelerated directly at the patrol vehicle. The pickup struck the passenger side door and right rear fender of the patrol vehicle. There was a passenger officer in the right front seat of the patrol vehicle when it was struck by the pickup truck.

The pickup truck traveled back into the residential El Rio area where the driver continued driving at a high rate of speed and failing to stop at stop signs. After traveling on several streets in El Rio, the pickup truck traveled westbound on Stroube Ave. and turned left on Vineyard Ave. The pickup traveled northbound on Vineyard Ave. at 80 mph and turned left on SR-118 (Los Angeles Ave.). The driver slowed to 40 mph while traveling on SR-118 toward the Saticoy area. The pickup truck finally pulled over at Azahar St. in Saticoy. The driver was taken into custody after briefly resisting CHP officers.

The driver of the pickup truck was identified as Robert Alexander Velasquez, age 41 of Ventura. He was booked into the Ventura County Jail for driving under the influence of alcohol, assault with deadly weapon and felony evading a peace officer. The patrol vehicle Velasquez struck sustained major damage. No one was injured in this incident.