A high-speed police pursuit of a stolen vehicle ended in a multi-car crash Thursday evening in Spring Valley.
The pursuit began shortly before 5:50 PM after San Diego Police officers spotted a stolen black and gray Mercury sedan that had triggered a license plate reader alert earlier in La Mesa. Officers began following the vehicle, which failed to yield and took them on a winding chase through several East County neighborhoods.
The pursuit, which reached surface street speeds of up to 50 MPH, traveled along major roads including Kelton, Paradise Valley Road, and Jamacha. At one point, the suspect vehicle was observed driving on a rim with at least one tire blown out.
SDPD’s ABLE helicopter joined the overhead tracking as officers deployed spike strips and coordinated on a mutual aid channel. Spike strips eventually damaged the suspect vehicle further, but the driver continued fleeing.
At approximately 6:13 PM, the suspect briefly drove the wrong way on Jamacha Road before crashing into three vehicles. One of the victims, Isaac Perez, had two children in the car with him. He reported trying to swerve out of the way but was sideswiped by the pursuit vehicle. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.
Heartland Fire crews responded with Engine 10 and Medic 15. The suspect—an adult female—was alert and ambulatory but was transported to a hospital under police supervision.
Officers on scene acknowledged the pursuit had not been terminated prior to the crash. While department protocol generally calls for ending pursuits involving wrong-way driving, police said the suspect’s maneuver was too brief and abrupt for a termination call to be made in time.
