On [Friday], April 24, 2026, at approximately 10:10 a.m., Santa Barbara Police Dispatch received a report of a hit-and-run collision that had just occurred in the 500 block of North Milpas Street.
Officers responded to the area and quickly located the suspect vehicle traveling southbound in the 600 block of North Milpas Street. When officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver failed to yield, leading officers on a slow-speed pursuit.
The pursuit ended in the 00 block of South Milpas Street, where the driver was taken into custody without incident.
The driver was identified as 55-year-old Santa Barbara resident Augustine Soto. Based on observed signs of impairment, officers conducted a driving under the influence (DUI) investigation.
Soto was subsequently arrested for misdemeanor hit-and-run, driving under the influence, evading a peace officer, and possession of an open container of alcohol in a vehicle.
He was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail.
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Wow, a 10am wasted driver? I’m glad he took the “slow speed pursuit” option.