Rupert Michael Gil
Santa Barbara police and a county helicopter chased a stolen vehicle Friday morning and arrested the driver on the west side of town.
The incident began shortly after 10 a.m., when a Santa Barbara County sheriff’s patrol vehicle received a LoJack warning about a stolen vehicle in the State Street and Highway 154 area, according to Santa Barbara Police spokesman Anthony Wagner.
The deputy tried to pull the vehicle – a red Cadillac – aside, but the driver fled into town.
The chase spun from the Mission Street area, up to La Cumbre Road, across the freeway, then over Modoc Road to the Westside.
The driver drove several red lights, according to emergency radio traffic, so the officers who were chasing him withdrew and let a helicopter follow the vehicle.
The chase ended on a vacant lot on the 1800 block of San Pascual Street, where the suspect exited the vehicle and was taken into custody moments later, Wagner said.
The suspect was identified as Rupert Michael Gil, 18, from Santa Maria, Wagner said.
Gil was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of car theft, felony evasion arrest, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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