Teen arrested after Salinas cannabis heist, pursuit to Gilroy

By Tim Fang

Authorities have arrested a 17-year-old and are looking for several other suspects following a heist at a cannabis greenhouse in Salinas and a police pursuit to Gilroy early Tuesday.

According to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, authorities were called to a greenhouse on Potter Road in Salinas around 1:40 a.m. after a security guard reported a burglary in progress. The guard reported three to four people were taking bags of cannabis from the facility and loading the bags into a white Tesla and a silver or gray Honda before fleeing the scene.

Salinas police officers located the Tesla on Highway 101 at Laurel Drive and attempted to pull over the vehicle. Police said the driver failed to yield and continued northbound on the highway.

Sheriff’s deputies and Salinas police, along with the California Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies, pursued the vehicle to Gilroy, nearly 30 miles north.

Once in Gilroy, the chase ended when the driver ended up in a cul-de-sac and was blocked in. Deputies said three people inside the vehicle fled on foot.

One of the occupants, identified as a 17-year-old male juvenile, was arrested and booked into the Monterey County Juvenile Hall. Meanwhile, the two others were not found following a yard-to-yard search.

Following the pursuit, deputies said they found what they described as a “large” load of cannabis inside the Tesla. 

Photos shared by the sheriff’s office showed bags of cannabis under the hood, behind the driver’s seat and filling the trunk.

The sheriff’s office said the second vehicle involved in the incident had crashed into a ditch near Highway 101 and Gould Road south of Salinas.

Deputies said the case is under investigation.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 831-755-5111 or by visiting the sheriff’s office website.