Loose cows on freeway lead to stolen vehicle chase in Santa Cruz County

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION) A driver has been arrested on suspicion of auto theft, DUI and evading law enforcement after an incident involving loose cows.

The California Highway Patrol was called to Highway 1 near Mar Monte Avenue Monday morning because there were loose cows on the roadway. Officers stopped traffic in both directions to prevent the cows from being hit while rounding them up.

While that was going on, officers said the driver of a Toyota 4Runner started passing traffic on the shoulder of the freeway. They tried to stop the vehicle, but they said the driver took off and led them on a chase.

The driver, identified as Felipe Albarran, led officers on a low-speed chase that ended on Highway 9 in Boulder Creek when officers deployed a spike strip, the CHP said.

Officers said they learned during the chase that the vehicle had been reported stolen, and photos sent to the CHP showed that the driver was distracted by a phone while refusing to pull over.