August 4, 2026 – Santa Maria, CA – Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office officials report that deputies arrested a Paso Robles man after he used a front loader tractor to crush a vehicle following an argument.

On Saturday, August 1, 2026, at approximately 12:03 a.m., deputies responded to a 911 call in the 1700 block of Sinton Road in Santa Maria for a report of a suspect driving a front loader tractor into an occupied vehicle.

When deputies arrived, they discovered a vehicle that had been crushed, sustaining severe damage throughout. A female adult was a passenger in the vehicle when 38-yearl-old Levi Gaze from Paso Robles rammed the vehicle with a tractor several times. Fortunately, the passenger in the vehicle was able to escape without being seriously injured before Gaze used the bucket to further destroy the vehicle.

Deputies determined that Gaze allegedly used the front loader to destroy the victims’ vehicle following a dispute. Deputies safely contacted Gaze while he was still in the front loader and took him into custody without incident.

Gaze was booked at the Northern Branch Jail on felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism. He was also booked on an outstanding no-bail warrant from San Luis Obispo County. He is being held without bail.



Source & photos: Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office