A domestic dispute in Santa Maria, California, escalated dramatically early Saturday morning when a man allegedly used a tractor to crush a woman's car while she was inside.
Levi P. Gaze, 38, is accused of repeatedly ramming the vehicle with a front-loader tractor around 12:03 a.m. on Saturday in the 1700 block of Sinton Road. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office reported that the woman managed to escape the severely damaged vehicle without sustaining serious injuries.
Investigators stated that Gaze allegedly used the heavy machinery to resolve the dispute. Deputies arrived at the scene and took Gaze into custody without incident while he was still in the tractor's loader.
He was booked into the Northern Branch Jail on felony charges of vandalism and assault with a deadly weapon. Jail records indicate he is being held without bail due to an outstanding warrant from San Luis Obispo County.
This incident follows a similar event in Florida in late July, where a man reportedly used a tractor to destroy a car and threatened workers after they flashed lights near his property.