Merced police say Thursday’s chase did not start on college campus

Officers who were led on a high-speed chase through Merced Thursday originally attempted to stop the suspect vehicle in the area of M Street and Buena Vista Drive, not on the Merced College campus as previously reported by Merced police.

The Merced Police Department issued a statement Friday afternoon stating the corrected information in connection with a high-speed chase and arrest of 33-year-old Atwater resident John Barragan, which also involved a Merced officer opening fire.

Authorities said a Merced College police officer saw Barragan driving east on Buena Vista Drive passing through stop signs at a high rate of speed. The officer attempted to stop Barragan on the 500 block of Buena Vista Drive.

According to multiple officials, Barragan may have tried to hit an officer with the vehicle.

Barragan led officers on a chase to the area of West Olive Avenue and M Street before heading to Fairfield Drive and M Street. Officers from several law enforcement agencies joined the pursuit, which ended in the Beachwood-Franklin area in unincorporated Merced.

Barragan was arrested Thursday and booked into John Lattoraca Correctional Center, according to jail records.

He remained in custody Friday.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Merced police say Thursday’s chase did not start on college campus."