BRIEFLY 31 KILLED IN STATE'S WEEKEND CRASHES.

Four people died in crashes on Los Angeles County highways and freeways between 6 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Sunday on the Thanksgiving weekend, compared with two deaths during the same period in 2002, the CHP said Sunday.

Statewide, there were 31 highway fatalities in the 84-hour period, up from 27 fatalities last year, according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP officers arrested 321 suspects on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in that period, up from 299 arrests last year. Across the state, officers made 1,515 DUI arrests, up from 1,460 arrests in 2002.

No fatal highway crashes were reported in Orange County for the first 84 hours of the holiday weekend. There was one fatality last year during the same period.

CHP officers in Orange County made 68 DUI arrests, compared with 48 arrests during the same period in 2002.

As it does with all major holidays, the CHP declared a ``maximum- enforcement'' period for the Thanksgiving weekend. That means more officers than usual were on the lookout for motoring scofflaws.

- City News Service

DUI suspect leads police on chase

THOUSAND OAKS - A man suspected of driving under the influence led California Highway Patrol officers on a high-speed chase from Oxnard to Thousand Oaks and back north to Santa Barbara County early Sunday, officials said.

Minutes before midnight, California Highway Patrol officers tried to pull over a 1994 Honda Accord driven by Clayton Halstead, 34, of Ventura, the CHP reported.

Officers chased Halstead south until he got off the freeway briefly at Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks, then headed back north, officials said.

Officers used a spike strip at Santa Claus Lane in Carpenteria to puncture tires on the car. Halstead then tried to run away, but officers caught and arrested him within moments shortly after 12:30 a.m., the Highway Patrol reported.

- Daily News