By Chloe Jones
The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
GROVER BEACH, Calif. — A Grover Beach man intentionally rammed his truck head-on into a police vehicle on Sunday while officers were attempting to stop him, police said.
Steven Tomis , 62, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and DUI with injury, the Grover Beach Police Department said in a news release.
Officers first responded to the 400 block of Leoni Drive for a report of a disturbance involving a vehicle, police said. When the officers arrived on scene, they determined Tomis collided his 1974 Ford pickup truck with another vehicle.
Tomis evaded the first arriving officer who tried to contact him and attempted to flee the area, police said. When the second officer arrived with his emergency lights on in an attempt to stop the truck, Tomis accelerated his vehicle, steered toward the officer’s patrol car and “intentionally collided head-on” with the officer.
Dash cam footage released by the agency shows Tomis’ truck accelerating toward the patrol vehicle head-on before impact.
The officer was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital, police said. Tomis was taken into custody without further incident. Both vehicles sustained major damage.
“Unfortunately, the patrol vehicle was brand new and had only been in service for a few weeks,” police said in the news release.
Tomis was found to be driving under the influence of alcohol, police said.
According to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office inmate database, Tomis was in custody with a $500,000 bail as of 11:15 a.m. Monday .
This story was originally published February 3, 2025 at 11:45 AM .
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