A man was arrested and jailed Saturday after he fled police in a commercial van on freeways and city streets for 90 minutes, authorities said.
The pursuit began at 9:15 a.m. Saturday when the driver ran a red light at the intersection of Fairmont Avenue and Wightman Street in City Heights, according to an interview by OnScene TV with Lt. Jake Resch of the San Diego Police Department.
The suspect eventually stopped near the Del Mar Fairgrounds after three of the van’s tires were flattened when police threw a spike strip, the lieutenant said.
During the beginning of the chase, the suspect threw out a firearm, which police recovered, Resch said.
“He called 911 dispatchers and made several rambling statements about his family being in trouble,” Resch said. “We sent officers to the address and confirmed they were not in trouble. We were able to get the stop strips out and he ultimately stopped for us, during which he complied and surrendered.”
At one point near the end of the pursuit, the suspect made a statement that he still had a firearm and explosives, the lieutenant said. But during a search of the van, police did not find any explosives.
The suspect was booked into San Diego County Jail and the van was impounded, Resch said. The suspect’s name was not immediately released.
During the pursuit, the van traveled from Interstate 805 north to northbound Interstate 5 to Solana Beach, then went south back on I-5. It drove into Pacific Beach and then back north to I-5 and from Highway 56 east to southbound I-805 into North Park through city streets into South Park. It then entered I-805 north and drove back up the I-5 and to Via de La Valle.
–City News Service