One man is in custody and two other people are hospitalized after police said a carjacking that quickly turned into a police chase ended in a collision in National City.
Investigators say an alleged carjacker in National City on Monday showed a police badge to a car owner, forcing her outside the car before taking off with it.
It happened just after the lunch hour loud sirens brought 4th Street residents to their windows and front lawns, including Fabiola Partida who lives just across the street from where the police chase ended.
“I hear like, a crash and I look outside the window and I just see this car smash right into my Dad’s truck,” Partida said.
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Partida says the man behind the wheel of the stolen blue Mustang attempted to run but didn’t get far before police had him on the ground and handcuffed.
“Kind of scary, but glad everything got under control with no shots fired,“ Partida said.
No shots fired but serious injuries and damage were left in its wake. The Mustang crashed head-on into a black pickup. The driver of the truck is being treated at a hospital. The passenger in the stolen car also had to be hospitalized.
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Thankfully, no other people were involved in the crash but there were two other vehicles. A Dodge Caravan had some serious front-end damage and the Ford F-150 in front of it also had front-end and engine damage from this head-on collision.
Misael Partida, who owns the truck, was standing in front of it just an hour before, changing his battery.
“Thank god nothing happened earlier. He would have been there, “ Partida said.
Police said the carjacking happened around 5 a.m. Monday at the Iris Avenue Trolley Station.
Investigators say the woman driving this blue Mustang was forced out of the car by the suspect. She says he flashed a badge, then made her put her hands behind her back before he took the car.
The chase started just before 1 p.m. at 69th Street and Imperial Avenue after police spotted the blue Mustang. About 18 minutes later, it ended in this smash-up.
“It’s scary because you don’t even know who is going to be approaching. You don’t know who’s a cop and who isn’t,” Partida said.
This at least the fourth San Diego Police pursuit in the last two weeks.
