Full Notification

A concerned motorist who observed an erratic driver called Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff Station shortly before 8:00 PM Friday evening, to summon law enforcement assistance. Within minutes, the Field Sergeant spotted the driver in a 2010 Mazda sedan, swerving in and out of traffic as he entered the eastbound 101 freeway at Malibu Canyon Road. The Sergeant pulled in behind the driver on the 101 freeway on ramp as the Mazda continued to swerve back and forth from curb to curb of the on ramp.

The Sergeant activated his red lights and siren on the 101 freeway, and the driver, after some hesitation, finally pulled over several hundred yards from the on ramp. As the Sergeant approached the suspect’s car, the driver speed away with his emergency flashers activated. The heavy traffic on the freeway delayed the Sergeant’s ability to catch up to the suspect for several minutes, but eventually the suspect was spotted again. Now the driver had turned off all of his vehicle’s lights and was travelling blacked out in the evening darkness. The Sergeant was soon joined by another deputy, and together they followed the suspect to the White Oak Avenue off ramp where they again activated their lights and siren in an attempt to get the driver to pull over and stop.

The suspect ignored the deputies’ attempts to stop him and continued weaving recklessly through traffic on White Oak Avenue turning westbound on Victory Boulevard and then turning northbound on Reseda Boulevard. He ran 5-6 red lights on Reseda Boulevard until he eventually crashed into four other vehicles on eastbound Nordhoff Street just west of Balboa Boulevard.

The suspect was trapped in his car due to the damage it sustained in the crash. Up to six other people in four cars were a victim of the suspect’s driving as he fled from pursuing deputies.

The suspect was identified as 57-year old Rene Barrantes of Woodland Hills. The collision investigation revealed that he was driving on a suspended driver’s license as he fled from deputies. He was booked at the Inmate Reception Center of the Los Angeles County Jail and will be charged with:

Reckless Driving
Evading a Peace Officer
Driving on a Suspended License
And a possible charge of Driving Under the Influence pending tests for drugs and/or alcohol.

Injuries to the drivers and passengers who were victimized by the suspect’s driving appeared to be minor to moderate at the time of the collision, with no life threatening injuries apparent. The traffic collision investigation will be handled by the Los Angeles Police Department.