A driver who fled a predawn traffic stop in Coronado led police on a chase that ended when he crashed his SUV in a Hillcrest ravine and escaped on foot.
The motorist failed to yield about 2:30 a.m. when an officer tried to pull him over for driving without his headlights on in the area of Alameda Boulevard and First Street, west of Naval Air Station North Island, according to the Coronado Police Department.
The unidentified driver, described only as male, fled through the city before crossing the Coronado bridge and merging onto northbound Interstate 5 in San Diego, spokesperson Lea Corbin said.
A short time later, the motorist exited the freeway near San Diego International Airport and continued into Hillcrest, Corbin said.
Reaching a dead end on West Brookes Avenue at Albatross Street, he ran his vehicle off the road and down a brushy embankment, then jumped out and ran.
The driver got away despite a search of the area by officers, including a service-dog unit from the San Diego Police Department.
Updated 3:40 p.m. Jan. 9, 2026
