CHP uses spike strip to halt Florida man driving big rig wrong way on Highway 99

The California Highway Patrol early Tuesday used a spike strip to disable a big rig driven by a Florida man the wrong way on Highway 99 near Kingsburg.

After the truck was brought to a halt, officers arrested Jose Alberto Perez, 37, of Miami, who was allegedly under the influence of a controlled substance.

A CHP spokesman said the incident began about 3 a.m. as officers received multiple calls of a semi-truck southbound in the northbound lanes of 99. A Tulare County Sheriff’s deputy was the first to spot the big rig, and he tried to stop it with his lights and sirens, but the driver reportedly tried to ram the deputy’s patrol vehicle.

At Avenue 328, the driver made a U-turn and headed north in the correct direction, but failed to respond to pursuing CHP units. After running over the spike strip, Perez surrendered near Avenue 260.