Car Chase Problem in Castroville - Central Coast News KION/KCBA

CASTROVILLE, Calif. - Yvette Espinosa has lived in Castroville for 10 years and said she's never seen so many car chases as she has this year. "I won't even let my 13 year old son walk these street," said Yvette.

A car chase with CHP officers started in Moss Landing on Saturday and left 6 year old Paul Hernandez on crutches after he was run over by the suspect. Paul's Mom was upset the drunk driver made it as far as her neighborhood. "I don't understand how they couldn't stop the car by the time it came to residential areas," said Carissa Bravo, Paul's mother.

CHP said the officer attempted to stop the driver before he got to the neighborhood. "Several times he actually backed off the pursuit in an attempt to try and get the driver to slow down, and possibly yield on his own, the driver refused to do that and continued to drive recklessly," said Robert Lehman, CHP public information officer.

In May, another chase left a car wrapped around a power pole. Neighbors told me they've seen at least 5 chases in the past 3 months. CHP also said a pursuit is the last resort and officers always evaluate traffic conditions before deciding to pursue. When police see that a car chase is leading them into a school zone like this one, then they just simply back off.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office said it didn't have the resources to check its records to find out how many chases it had through Castroville lately. But Saturday's close call for little Paul Hernandez makes neighbor Yvette Espinosa think something's got to change. "I don't blame the officers, but they have got to do something to get it under control. What that is? I don't know. I don't think there are any winners in this," said Yvette.