MOSS LANDING—A big rig driver was arrested Thursday night after leading officers on a multi-county chase down Highway 1, following a hit-and-run collision in Santa Cruz.
Alyssa Gutierrez of the California Highway Patrol said Santa Cruz police initially tried to pull over a white tractor-trailer (Freightliner) in Santa Cruz around 9:10pm.
The CHP picked up the chase on southbound Highway 1 north of San Andreas Road and tried to stop the Freightliner, but the driver did not pull over and a pursuit ensued. The Freightliner continued southbound through Watsonville and into Monterey County.
After CHP deployed a spike strip, the driver pulled over on Highway 1 near Dolan Road.
The driver, Gregorio Alcaraz, 34, of Little Rock, Calif., was arrested for DUI, evading a peace officer and possession of a concealed firearm. Gutierrez said CHP officers found a concealed handgun in the Freightliner.
Alcaraz was taken back to Santa Cruz County where he was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail.
Santa Cruz police are still investigating the hit-and-run crash.