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Barriers Surrounding State Capitol Credited With Helping End High-Speed Chase

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — New homeland security measures near the State Capitol are being credited with helping end a high-speed chase overnight.

Officials say the devices were able to stop a suspected DUI driver early Tuesday morning without causing any major injuries. The suspect car crashed into steel barriers and rolled over in the traffic circle across from the west steps of the Capitol.

Peter Whitford is the CEO of Meridian Barriers, a California-based company that builds three-foot-tall anti-vehicle devices that weigh 700 pounds.

"Had they not been there, the car would have done a lot more damage," Whitford said. "Once you run into our barrier, the car will actually sit up on top of the barrier and the car will come to a halt or it won't go any further, but not only that, the driver is not going to be injured so they're non-lethal"

The city of Sacramento spent a half-million dollars in Homeland Security funding to purchase the barricades last February.

"They have about 60 of our barriers and they use them for multiple events, whether it be around the Capitol building, whether it be for an event that the city is having or even the farmer's market, they go from a wide range of things," Whitford said.

Whitford says a wave of civil unrest across the country is prompting more cities to purchase the devices.

"Our demand has increased significantly," he said.

But this crash was the first time they've stopped a car on Sacramento streets. Whitford said the barricades are built to be used over and over again.

"Those barriers were hit very, very hard and a very, very high speed, they'll have new wheels on them tomorrow and they'll be put straight back up and be operational," he said.

The California Highway Patrol arrested the driver of the Mustang and at least one other person inside the car was taken to the hospital but is expected to be okay.

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