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Man Arrested After Car Chase Involving Stolen CHP Unit On Central Coast; Body Found In His Home

Authorities say what started out as a car chase has led to the discovery of a woman’s body on the Central Coast, and they are calling the death suspicious. The bizarre set of circumstances started at around six Sunday morning.

The CHP responded to a report of an abandoned vehicle on Highway 46 near York Mountain Road. An officer found a two, and a four year old in the vehicle. But, as the officer was investigating, someone stole their CHP unit.

There was a chase. A spike strip was deployed which stopped the CHP unit near the Piedras Blancas lighthouse. Daniel Johnson fled on foot, and when officers found him nearby, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies say he threatened them with a knife.

They used a beanbag gun to disable and arrest the 31 year old man. When they searched the San Luis Obispo County man’s home, they found the body of a woman inside. More details of the case will be released this afternoon.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.