NBC 7 caught up with a grocery delivery driver who found himself in the middle of a violent, cross-city crime spree last week that involved multiple shootings, carjackings and even a rollover crash.
It all started with a shooting in Imperial Beach at around 5:15 p.m., according to San Diego County Sheriff's Department deputies. They say Calvin Brown, 26, shot a woman in the leg and also shot her dog.
Nearly an hour later, deputies had tracked Brown to Valencia Park. They told the San Diego Police Department Brown could be in the area of 5100 Coban Street. At the same time, a resident near Coban Street called SDPD to report a shooting. Officers didn't find any victims but located several shell casings, according to the department.
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With two agencies on his trail, Brown and another woman, Roleana Blunt, jumped a few neighborhoods over to North Park and allegedly robbed a smoke shop. Brown fired at least one shot from a handgun before leaving the store and driving off in a white convertible at around 6:41 p.m., according to SDPD.
Six minutes later, Brown crashed a white convertible in northbound lanes of Interstate 805 at Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, according to SDPD and the CHP. The convertible hit two other cars, injuring a passenger in one of them, police said.
Four minutes after the crash, a carjacking was reported near the Kearny Lodge Mobile Home Park. Police say Brown and Blunt stole a burgundy Nissan Versa and drove off toward the freeway.
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Then 20 minutes later, at around 7:10 p.m., deputies say Brown crashed the Nissan at Nolbey Street and Villa Cardiff Drive in Cardiff-by-the-Sea and then stole a Ford Fusion. The Fusion belongs to Gabriel Franca.
"There are a couple scratches over here," Franca said, pointing out some knicks in his paint.
"It wasn’t planned, obviously, because they were all over the place. He just snapped and went off," Franca theorized.
Franca was on the clock as a delivery driver. An order of diapers is what led him to the wrong place at the wrong time.
Deputies say Brown and Blunt ditched the Nissan while it was still moving and carjacked Franca at gunpoint. Franca was already outside of his car when Brown approached. He was able to identify the gun deputies confiscated from Brown as the weapon pointed at him. It was unserialized — commonly referred to as a "ghost gun" by law enforcement — and equipped with a 30-round magazine, which is illegal in California.
"He could shoot me, that’s always a possibility, but remain calm, give him what he wants, stay alive," Franca said reliving his thoughts as he stared down the barrel.
But that wasn’t the end of the road for Franca. He spotted a pizza delivery driver named Hake and got in his car. The two gave chase.
"It was mostly just to get the last known location for law enforcement to do their jobs," Franca said.
At one point franca said Brown stopped the car, got out, then fired four shots at him and Jake. None found their target.
"I looked at Jake and said duck, then I heard two more pops, then we got out of there. I was weirdly calm and collected," Franca remembered.
Seconds later, a law enforcement helicopter was overhead. Brown and Blunt were both taken into custody in the parking lot of an LA Fitness on El Camino Real in Encinitas, according to deputies.
Cameras were rolling as Brown was being put into the back of a police SUV. He identified himself to NBC 7, then said he blames the mothers of his children for what happened.
"They wouldn’t let me see my kids," he shouted. "And I will die before I can’t see my kids. Thank you, I appreciate that very much. That’s all I want on the news."
It is just a coincidence, but Franca said he’s about halfway through the process of becoming a sheriff’s deputy. This was an experience that might serve him on the job. He has since developed a good habit.
"I just always look in the rearview before I get out," he said.
NBC 7 has been in touch with the woman who was shot in Imperial Beach. She said she and her dog are on the mend. The suspects are behind bars charged with several serious crimes including attempted murder and gun charges. Blunt is 19 now but was 18 at the time of the alleged crime spree.
