Santa Barbara Man Arrested After Eastside Vehicle Pursuit Ends in Crash

A 22-year-old Santa Barbara resident was arrested Thursday night after a brief vehicle pursuit through the Eastside ended with an SUV crashing into a tree, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department.

Around 9:30 p.m. on March 5, an officer spotted a black Lincoln Navigator traveling eastbound in the 1200 block of East Cota Street without headlights and at a high rate of speed, police said.

As the officer attempted to catch up, the driver continued recklessly through residential streets. When the officer initiated a traffic stop, the driver failed to yield and attempted to flee.

During the pursuit, the SUV collided with an unoccupied parked vehicle in the 1100 block of East Gutierrez Street, then continued west on Gutierrez before crashing into a tree in the 300 block of Calle Cesar Chavez Street, police said.

After the crash, the vehicle’s occupants fled on foot. A short time later, the driver returned to the scene and voluntarily surrendered to officers.

Police identified him as Yahir Limon-Avita, 22, of Santa Barbara. He was not injured.

Limon-Avita was arrested and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on charges including felony evading and hit-and-run. Bail was set at $75,000, according to SBPD.

A reported reckless driver trying to escape police crashed in Santa Barbara and ran Thursday. A second person was caught on Gutierrez St. at Calle Cesar Chavez. A parked truck was damaged several blocks away. A brief police chase was called off prior to this crash pic.twitter.com/i0ZDtczAYE

— John Palminteri (@JohnPalminteri) March 6, 2026