Police used tire-busting spike strips and closed a section of
U.S. 101 before stopping an allegedly intoxicated man behind the
wheel of a vehicle traveling the wrong way down the interstate,
police said.
Four cars stolen in one weekend
Four cars were stolen from neighborhoods throughout Morgan Hill last weekend, according to police.
The first car, a four-door 1993 Honda Accord, was stolen between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. Friday from a Tennant Station parking lot, according to Morgan Hill police Sgt. Jerry Neumayer.
Then a 1996 Saturn sedan was stolen from a parking spot on Crest Avenue, between 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday. About the same time, a 1996 Honda Accord was stolen from a spot on Wright Avenue.
Also over the weekend, a 1996 Acura Integra was stolen, but police do not know exactly when, Neumayer said. That car was recovered Sunday in Gilroy, though it is unclear in what condition the vehicle was in.
Neumayer said police do not know if the same suspect or suspects were involved in all four incidents. He said four stolen cars in one weekend is an “unusual spike.”
Suspected drunk drives wrong way on U.S. 101
Police used tire-busting spike strips and closed a section of U.S. 101 before stopping an allegedly intoxicated man behind the wheel of a vehicle traveling the wrong way down the interstate, police said.
Paul J. Lajeunesse, 46 of Morgan Hill, drove south on U.S. 101 from Cochrane Road to Tenth Street in Gilroy, in the northbound lane, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Police received a call reporting the erratic driver, who was in a green 2000 Volvo S320, about 11:30 p.m. Monday, according to officer Jaime Rios.
The car was near the intersection of the freeway and Cochrane Road when it was first reported. CHP officers attempted to stop the vehicle multiple times by making a traffic stop. When the driver did not pull over, officers placed movable spike strips in the car’s path. The car drove over the spikes, and continued the wrong way down the freeway at a slow speed, Rios said.
The car finally stopped for CHP officers on U.S. 101 just south of Tenth Street in Gilroy, Rios said.
The northbound lanes of U.S. 101 were closed from state route 25 during the incident. The road was reopened shortly after police stopped and arrested Lajeunesse, about 11:50 p.m.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and driving the wrong way on a freeway, Rios said.
No accidents or injuries were reported as a result of the incident.
