Officers Pursue Man With His Family in SUV

SANTA BARBARA —  A man allegedly involved in a domestic dispute led authorities on a long chase Thursday that ended when he hit a dead end, jumped out with a baby boy in his arms and engaged in a standoff with officers until they used a stun gun on him, police said.

The man’s wife or girlfriend and their two other children, ages 2 and 11, were also in the vehicle but were allowed to get out before the arrest, authorities said.

No one was hurt during the incident, in which California Highway Patrol units pursued the SUV with a stroller strapped to its roof on U.S. 101 from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara.

The driver, Douglas Newman, 37, was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, evading and child endangerment, authorities said.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the woman involved was Newman’s wife. But CHP spokesman Don Clotworthy identified her as Newman’s girlfriend, Sheryl Lynn DeClue, 36, of Los Angeles.

The incident began about 11:30 a.m. in the San Fernando Valley. Los Angeles police said a witness reported that a woman had been pushed into a Chevrolet Blazer by a man and driven away. The witness followed until a police unit caught up with the SUV, but the driver refused to stop, police said.

The vehicle headed northwest out of Los Angeles County on the Ventura Freeway at speeds up to 100 mph until it reached the Montecito area of Santa Barbara County.

“During the pursuit, a man called LAPD and identified himself as the driver’s brother,” the LAPD statement said. “He said the driver, seen on television, was from Idaho and in town with his family, visiting his mother.”

The driver got off the freeway and turned onto a road closed for bridge repairs. Forced to stop, Newman got out holding the 6-month-old boy, Clotworthy said.

The 11-year-old girl left the SUV as Newman asked for a cellphone, and she was taken into protective custody, he said. The mother then brought the 2-year-old to officers. Officers determined there was no weapon in the SUV and approached. A Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputy shot Newman with a Taser, and a CHP officer grabbed the baby, Clotworthy said.