Officers chase wanted man across Atascadero and into Templeton vineyard

April 20, 2017

After hitting speeds of more than 100 mph and stealing an ATV in a Templeton vineyard, a 25-year-old man’s day fleeing local law enforcement came to an end.

Around 8 a.m., Atascadero police received a report of a stolen vehicle that was found unoccupied in the Santa Margarita area. While police were responding, a suspect entered entered the vehicle and began driving toward Atascadero.

Officers located the vehicle on the southern edge of the city. When officers turned on their lights and siren, the driver accelerated and a chase began.

Police followed the driver north on El Camino Real and tried to disable his vehicle using a spike strip. The spike strip did not work, and the chase went onto northbound Highway 101.

While on the highway, the suspect was driving erratically and without any regard for citizens, according to the police department. He quickly exited the highway on the Rosario on-ramp and continued north on El Camino Real.

The driver then reentered the highway on the Santa Cruz on-ramp and kept traveling north at high speeds. He then exited the highway at Las Tablas Road and headed west, a police department press release states.

Eventually, county sheriffs personnel and CHP officers found the suspect’s vehicle on the west side of Templeton. The deputies and CHP officers then found the man in a vineyard, where he had stolen an off-road vehicle.

Officers arrested the suspect Bradleigh Tabelin, 25, and charged him with felony failure to yield and possession of a stolen vehicle. Tabelin also had a felony warrant out for his arrest, as well as a suspended driver’s license, and he is on felony probation.

Authorities booked Tabelin in San Luis Obispo County Jail. He remains in custody with his bail set at $25,000.