Man arrested after high speed chase from Minden to South Lake Tahoe

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - A man has been arrested after allegedly leading deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) on a high-speed chase from Gardnerville to South Lake Tahoe.

On March 7 at 2:10 p.m., a blue GMC truck was seen speeding and being driven recklessly. The driver was running other motor vehicles off the roadway on Highway 395 near Leviathan Mine Road in Gardnerville. DCSO deputies located the vehicle in Minden near Highway 395 and 10th Street. The deputies attempted to make an enforcement stop but the driver kept going and drove onto SR88 at a school zone at approximately 80 miles per hour.

DCSO deputies continued to pursue the truck up SR207 (Kingsbury Grade) into Stateline. The truck driver drove into the oncoming lanes at a high speed, causing other motor vehicles to move out of his way, endangering lives with the reckless driving, according to DCSO.

The deputies then pursued the truck into California where DCSO Deputies terminated the pursuit. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department and California Highway Patrol were waiting to take on the pursuit and were prepared with spike strips, but the pursuit was ended prior to their involvement.

DCSO identified the suspect as Santos Benitez-Tejada, a Mexican National, as the individual was driving the truck. He was located in Fernley by the Nevada State Police and arrested at DCSO’s request at approximately 9:20 p.m. for Felony Eluding, Reckless Driving, Speeding 41 mph+ over the posted speed limit, and Speeding in a school zone 21mph+ over the posted speed limit. Benitez-Tejada was booked into the Lyon County Jail and will be transferred to Douglas County and booked into DCSO’s jail on the charges.