Grover beach man arrested for carjacking

January 25, 2019

A Grover Beach man carjacked a victim Thursday morning, then led the CHP on a chase on Highway 101 before being arrested in Orcutt, according to the Pismo Beach Police Department. [Cal Coast Times]

Nicholas Carlos Giovanni, 30, entered a parked car through the unlocked passenger door at about 7:50 a.m. in the 600 block of Five Cities Drive in Pismo Beach. Giovanni then forced the driver out of the vehicle and drove the car onto Highway 101, according to a police department press release.

CHP officers located the vehicle headed southbound on Highway 101 near Betteravia Road in Santa Maria. Officers tried to stop the car, but Giovanni led them on a short chase, which the CHP then halted due to safety concerns.

Shortly afterwards, officers found the vehicle and the suspect in Orcutt near Stillwell Road and Ashbrook Lane. Officers took Giovanni into custody without incident and arrested him on charges of carjacking and violating probation.

Officers booked Giovanni in San Luis Obispo County Jail, where he remains with his bail set at $100,000.

No one suffered injuries during the incident. Police returned the vehicle to its rightful owner.