A high-speed chase ended at the Hornet Commons apartments across Sacramento State, leading to an arrest after a car drove through the complex and nearly collided with several residents, according to police.

The suspect drove at a high rate of speed through College Town toward Bay Laurel Way and made a U-turn towards the Hornet Commons, according to police. 

“We were doing proactive patrol near the Napa Hall area and we saw a vehicle driving through College Town at a high rate of speed and we saw a sheriff K-9 unit with lights and sirens in pursuit,”  Sac State Police Department’s Lieutenant Harvey Woo said. “Not knowing this could pose a danger to the campus we assisted.”

David Ries, a fourth-year history major, said he walked his normal walk from the Sacramento State campus back home at the Hornet Commons. 

“I was at the intersection coming back from class and saw the chase happening,” Ries said.

Coming back from campus, he said he saw the helicopter and cars coming through and knew something was going on. A gray Chevy drove straight through the center of the Hornet Commons, according to Ries.  

“He was driving at risk of hurting a bunch of people,” Ries said.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Tony Rodriguez

Sacramento police hold the suspect in custody as they search the involved vehicle at the Hornet Commons on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. Police arrested the man after he drove through the student living area.

Bystanders who were playing basketball at the Hornet Commons were forced to take precautions as they saw cars approaching quickly, said third year film major Andrew Morrison.

“We were playing basketball and there was a helicopter overhead and we heard sirens,“ Morrison said. “I look to my left and there is a car just driving through the Hornet Commons with a bunch of cop cars going after it.”

Sacramento State Police decided to take precautions by following the chase from a distance to make sure that students and traffic were safe.

“They were chasing him the entire time,” Morrison said. “It must have been a long chase since it was the Sacramento Sheriff and not the campus police.”

Sac State University Police followed the car to assist the Sacramento police.

“We followed the sheriff’s vehicle into the east side of the Hornet Commons parking lot,” Lieutenant Woo said. “This is where the suspect was apprehended by the sheriff’s department.”

This was not the state university’s police department’s pursuit, according to Lieutenant Woo. Campus police assisted in the pursuit to make sure community members were safe, according to them.

At the current time, we are waiting for a comment from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and will update the story with more information as the situation develops. 

Additional reporting by Erick Amaya.