A 52-year-old man was in custody Saturday after leading authorities on a 30-minute chase while allegedly intoxicated in La Mesa.
At 7:30 p.m. Friday, a sheriff’s deputy responded to a suspicious person call regarding a man drinking alcohol in his vehicle behind a CVS Pharmacy at the 3000 block of Avocado Blvd, said Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Hettinger.
Upon the deputy’s arrival, the man, identified as Simone Bahou, started his vehicle and slowly drove past the deputy as he approached on foot and the deputy gave Bahou multiple commands to stop his vehicle but he did not, Hettinger said.
The deputy could smell alcohol emanating from the vehicle as it passed him, Hettinger added.
Then he returned to his vehicle and initiated a traffic stop but Bahou continued and a pursuit ensued.
It lasted about 30 minutes and was taken over by CHP for the last eight minutes of the chase but sheriff units remained in pursuit due to not enough CHP units on the scene, Hettinger said. CHP used a PIT maneuver and stopped the vehicle at the 70th Street and Lake Murray Boulevard overpass.
Bahou was taken into custody with the assistance of a police dog. He was extremely intoxicated, Hettinger said. Then he was taken by ambulance to Sharp Memorial Hospital for evaluation.
Bahou was arrested on suspicion of felony evasion, resisting arrest and driving under the influence, Hettinger said.
— City News Service
