Atwater police search for vehicle after high-speed chase

Atwater police are seeking the public’s help to identify the driver of a green Honda Accord who escaped arrest early Sunday after leading officers on a high-speed chase through the city.

The driver, described by police as a Latino male in his 20s who was “unshaven,” was first spotted around 8:30 a.m. Sunday traveling north on First Street at a “high rate of speed,” Lt. Samuel Joseph said.

Police attempted to stop the driver, but he accelerated to speeds of nearly 70 mph in an area where the speed limit is 30 mph, officers said.

The driver turned east onto Juniper Drive before heading north on High Street. The vehicle pulled to the side of the road in the area of High Street and Glen Court, but accelerated away when officers approached on foot, police said.

The chase continued onto Center Street, and the driver passed a stop sign without slowing. The pursuit continued onto Shaffer Road, where the driver blew past another stop sign and accelerated to speeds of about 90 mph. The driver turned onto Atwater Boulevard, raced through a red traffic light and drove onto the center median of the roadway, passing several vehicles, according to police.

Once on Atwater Boulevard, the driver of the Honda accelerated to speeds of around 100 mph in an area where the posted speed limit is 40 mph, officers said.

Police called off the pursuit out of concern for public safety when the chase neared the Atwater Flea Market.

The vehicle was last seen heading south on Bert Crane Road.

This story was originally published October 4, 2015 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Atwater police search for vehicle after high-speed chase."