A high-speed pursuit involving a stolen truck that started in Nipomo early Wednesday morning culminated with the vehicle crashing into a vacant Santa Maria residence, according to Santa Maria police.

The 16-year-old driver of the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado, which was reported stolen on Tuesday, was taken into custody by Arroyo Grande police after the incident, which happened around 4:30 a.m.

The suspect, a boy from Santa Maria, was arrested on suspicion of stealing and possessing a stolen vehicle, and of failing to yield during a pursuit, said Sgt. Albert Beattie of the Arroyo Grande Police Department.

Santa Maria police were notified that Arroyo Grande police and the California Highway Patrol were pursuing a vehicle on southbound Highway 101 from Nipomo that was traveling at more than 100 mph.

The Silverado exited at Donovan Road, and traveled southbound on College Drive at more than 70 mph, police said. Santa Maria police spotted the truck in the area of Main and College, and an officer found the truck had crashed into a house at the southeast corner of Cypress Street and College that was vacant and under construction.

The entire vehicle was in the house, police said. Officers set up a perimeter around the residence, and received a phone call informing them that a person who was out of breath was hiding east of the crash site.

The suspect suffered a superficial abrasion to his toe and was taken to Arroyo Grande Community Hospital as a precaution before he was transported to juvenile hall, Beattie said.

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Beattie said the highway was quiet during the pursuit with “real light traffic.”

Samantha Yale can be reached at 739-2159 or syale@santamariatimes.com.

May 29, 2008