At about 1:38am Monday, Turlock Police Officer Arroyo attempted to make a traffic stop at Lander Avenue and W. Greenway Avenue.
The reason for the stop was failing to stop at a stop sign.
Instead of stopping, the vehicle took off from Arroyo and a pursuit ensued.
The pursuit took Arroyo and assisting officers onto the freeway, into a northeast Turlock neighborhood, Denair, and Ballico.
In Ballico, the vehicle spun out and was involved in a traffic collision causing some property damage at Santa Fe Drive and Broadway.
After the vehicle’s front tires went flat, it eventually stopped at Broadway and Park Street in Ballico.
The pursuit covered 18 miles in 15 minutes, reaching speeds of 100mph.
A high-risk stop was conducted and the vehicle’s two occupants were detained at gunpoint, including driver Ariel Arroyo, 20, of Delhi (unrelated to Officer Arroyo).
Ariel was discovered to have a suspended driver’s license due to a prior DUI conviction and be on probation for the same.
Someone out of Los Banos had started the process of registering the vehicle but never completed it. Los Banos Police contacted that person and they stated they had sold the vehicle but didn’t know who to.
It should be noted Ariel was wearing a ski mask during the pursuit, which he also proudly displays in his Facebook profile picture.
Ariel was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of fleeing from a peace officer by vehicle with disregard for public safety, driving with a suspended license due to a DUI conviction, and failing to stop at a stop sign.
Additionally, Ariel’s vehicle was towed and his passenger was released from detention.