21-year-old leads CHP on highway pursuit

California Highway Patrol officers arrested a man Wednesday night on suspicion of multiple offenses after he allegedly led officers on a highway pursuit in Contra Costa County.

At 8:25 p.m., CHP officers saw a silver 2005 Toyota Corolla speeding on southbound state Highway 242 toward Concord. Officers pursued the Toyota to southbound Interstate Highway 680, reaching speeds over 100 mph, CHP officials said.

The driver of the Toyota stopped at the North Main Street off-ramp, parked the car and fled on foot across the highway toward North Main Street, leaving a female passenger inside the car.

CHP officers detained the passenger, who identified the male suspect as 21-year-old Erik Salgado and pointed officers in the direction that he ran.

The passenger was interviewed and later released, CHP officials said.

Salgado was seen running into the Caltrans maintenance yard on North Main Street, so CHP officers and local police agencies set up a perimeter to close in on him.

A CHP helicopter unit that was dispatched to assist in the search spotted Salgado hiding in bushes and relayed his location to an officer on the ground. That officer then approached Salgado and told him to surrender, but he allegedly refused, CHP officials said.

The officer then deployed a K-9, which ran into the bushes and bit Salgado to subdue him. Officers then took him into custody.

Salgado suffered injuries from the bite and was taken to a hospital, where he remains under CHP watch this afternoon, CHP officials said. He was arrested on suspicion of felony evading at excessive speeds, possessing drugs and violating parole.

 

No one else was injured during the pursuit or Salgado’s arrest, CHP officials said.