LA MESA — Fri Apr 17, 10:16 PM — A 16-year-old male driver was arrested Friday night after evading a La Mesa police traffic stop and rolling a Kia SUV at the intersection of Gregory Street and Severin Drive, according to La Mesa police and fire officials on scene.
Officers had initially responded to a report of a possible house party takeover at a vacant home on Monona Drive, where neighbors said individuals who appeared to be high school age were arriving in large numbers. Police arrived before the gathering got underway and observed the Kia leaving the area. They attempted a traffic stop for suspected DUI, but the driver failed to yield and evaded officers, who lost sight of the vehicle.
Several minutes later, while traveling northbound on Severin Drive, the driver attempted a right turn onto Gregory Street at excessive speed. The Kia’s left-side wheels struck the curb, rolling the vehicle onto its roof. Police were not in pursuit at the time of the crash. Neighbors who witnessed the rollover said officers arrived at the scene roughly two minutes later.
Both occupants were wearing their seatbelts, and the vehicle’s front and side curtain airbags deployed. Both teens were uninjured. The female passenger refused medical care at the scene.
The driver initially intended to refuse medical care as well. After La Mesa Police placed him under arrest, a medic transported him to a hospital for further evaluation. The driver was observed in handcuffs on the curb as officers and first responders worked the scene.
