UPDATE: Suspect killed in officer-involved shooting after Paso Robles pursuit
By Staff Report · Thu Sep 17 2026
UPDATE:
PASO ROBLES — A man wanted in connection with a felony stalking case was killed in an officer-involved shooting Thursday morning after a vehicle pursuit that ended on Highway 101 in Paso Robles, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s deputies initially attempted to contact the suspect while he was inside his vehicle in a Paso Robles parking lot. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the suspect accelerated backward, striking a Sheriff’s patrol unit, before fleeing and prompting a pursuit.
The pursuit continued northbound on Highway 101 before the suspect turned around near Mission Street in San Miguel and traveled southbound. Deputies attempted to deploy a spike strip several times. As the suspect approached Paso Robles, the Sheriff’s Office terminated the pursuit due to safety concerns and deputies lost sight of the vehicle.
The suspect later crashed on Highway 101 and stopped along the side of the highway near the Niblick Road overpass in Paso Robles. Deputies, along with a member of the Sheriff’s Crisis Negotiation Team, attempted to contact him while he remained inside the vehicle.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the suspect eventually exited the vehicle and pointed a handgun at deputies and officers with the Paso Robles Police Department. Shots were fired, and the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
Three Paso Robles police officers and two Sheriff’s deputies were directly involved in the shooting. No law enforcement officers were injured.
The Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Professional Standards Unit will investigate the incident, while the California Highway Patrol will conduct a concurrent investigation.
The Sheriff’s Office said there is no threat to the public at this time. The investigation remains active, and additional information will be released as it becomes available.
ORIGINAL STORY:
PASO ROBLES — A police pursuit that ended in a crash and officer-involved shooting Thursday morning has closed southbound Highway 101 in Paso Robles, according to the California Highway Patrol and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office.
According to a report from KSBY, the vehicle involved in the pursuit crashed into another vehicle in the southbound lanes near the Pine Street off-ramp shortly before 8:40 a.m. Thursday. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office later confirmed that the incident also involved a police shooting.
The southbound lanes were fully blocked, and signs warning motorists of the closure were activated, according to CHP. The Sheriff's Office also issued an alert advising motorists to stay out of the area while the incident remained under investigation.
The Paso Robles Police Department advised that southbound Highway 101 was closed at 1st and Spring streets because of police activity, with traffic being rerouted through town. Motorists were urged to use alternate routes and expect significant delays.
As of Thursday morning, there was no estimated time for the highway to reopen. Authorities had not released information about the extent of any injuries or what led to the pursuit and shooting. The incident remains under investigation.