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Read more Driver shot, killed after high-speed chase on Hwy. 101 in Paso Robles
Editor’s Note: This story mentions suicide.
A driver was shot and killed Thursday morning after he led officers on a high-speed chase on Highway 101 through Paso Robles.
At about 8 a.m., police responded to a 2024 Ram pickup truck at the Hampton Inn & Suites parking lot at 212 Alexa Court. The truck was registered to a man who had previously made suicidal statements, according to emergency radio traffic.
Police officers responded to the scene and attempted to stop the man, but he drove away in a truck and rammed an emergency response vehicle on Alexa Court.
No medical response was needed for the responder whose vehicle was rammed.
The driver then fled onto northbound Highway 101 toward San Miguel and police pursued him. Speeds reached 95 mph during the chase, according to emergency radio traffic.
Officers called for spike strips to be deployed at Stockdale Road, and an officer on the radio said, “Our ‘line in the sand’ is going to be at north Spring (Street).”
The driver continued speeding north, however, and officers tried and failed to deploy a spike strip at San Marcos Road and Highway 101.
Then, the truck turned around and started driving the wrong direction on the highway, back toward Paso Robles.
He used southbound Highway 101 to approach 21st Street, and at one point drove in the median south of Vine Street.
The truck then got into some sort of collision and sustained extensive damage to the point an officer described it as “extremely disabled” on the radio.
Officers initiated a felony stop at 8:23 a.m.
Officers then saw the driver of the truck searching the passenger side of his vehicle.
K-9s arrived on the scene, and a large crowd of people gathered on the northwest side of the highway to record the incident.
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On the radio, an officer described the moment as “an extensive standoff situation.”
9/17/26 9am Police activity, US-101 at Spring Street, Paso Robles, MAJOR traffic delays on the freeway and Spring Street area. Please avoid the area, due to emergency personnel in the area for vehicle pursuit and with report of shots fired. Traffic being diverted 17th St pic.twitter.com/EQDZKrNFZV
— CHP San Luis Obispo (@ChpSlo) September 17, 2026
Officers asked for numerous highway and traffic blocks in the area and deployed a drone.
Gunshots were fired at about 8:47 a.m.
The driver of the truck fell to the ground, and officers approached him to investigate. The man died on the scene, according to emergency radio traffic.
Officers then diverted traffic on southbound Highway 101 to Pine Street and Theatre Drive. Traffic on northbound Highway 101 resumed.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office closed southbound Highway 101 from 24th Street to westbound Highway 46 in Paso Robles, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The California Highway Patrol reported major traffic delays in the Spring Street area “due to emergency personnel in the area for vehicle pursuit and with report of shots fired,” a post on X said.
The CHP was diverting traffic to 17th Street.
Traffic on Highway 101 slowed to a crawl through Paso Robles on Thursday morning.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a certified listener, call 988. You can also call the Central Coast Hotline at 800-783-0607 for 24-7 assistance. To learn the warning signs of suicide, visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
This story was originally published September 17, 2026 at 10:11 AM with the headline “Driver shot, killed after high-speed chase on Hwy. 101 in Paso Robles.”
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