A Valley Center man was behind bars Monday for allegedly getting into a drunken fight at a Super Bowl party, then leading deputies on a road chase and using his pickup truck to ram their squad cars.
David Salas Jr., 47, was at the game-watching gathering in the 14000 block of Rancho Copa in Valley Center with his 15-year-old son when he got into an argument that turned violent about 7:45 p.m. Sunday, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
Several of the partygoers called 911 to report the fracas as others tried to hold down Salas, who was “heavily intoxicated,” Lt. Jim Emig said.
Deputies arrived to find Salas driving away from the home where the party was being held, Emig said. When they tried to pull him over, he allegedly refused to yield.
While driving toward his home with deputies giving chase, Salas pulled to a stop several times but refused their orders to surrender and twice backed his truck into their occupied patrol vehicles, rendering the cruisers “inoperable,” the lieutenant said.
Reaching his residence in the 2600 block of West Duro Road on San Pasqual Indian Reservation, Salas pulled over in his front yard. He and his son did not immediately exit the vehicle, however, leading to a nearly hourlong standoff.
After talking to deputies by phone, Salas eventually agreed to surrender. He complied with their commands to get out of the pickup along with his son and walk toward the deputies with hands up, but then suddenly turned around and walked back toward his truck.
“Fearing Salas … would use his vehicle to assault deputies again, deputies ran after him and attempted to pull (him) from the vehicle as he climbed into the driver’s seat,” Emig said. “Salas … was able to accelerate the vehicle forward into a ditch, partially dragging a deputy in the process. The deputy was not injured, and (Salas) was taken into custody.”
After being treated at a hospital for minor injuries along with his son, Salas was booked into county jail in Vista on suspicion of a dozen charges, including drunken driving, resisting arrest, child endangerment, hit-and-run, and four counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer. He was being held on $1 million bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
City News Service contributed to this article.
