A driver who struck three vehicles while trying to evade police officers in a brief, high-speed car chase in Escondido on Thursday was arrested after they crashed into a pole and came to a stop after a rollover crash.
The chase began when an off-duty San Diego Police Department lieutenant saw a driver in a box truck hit multiple curbs near San Pasqual High School. In his unmarked department cruiser, the lieutenant activated his sirens in an effort to have the truck in question pull over.
SDPD said the driver stopped for a moment in the middle of an intersection then took off as the lieutenant approached the car. While the suspect vehicle led the official on a two-mile pursuit, a National City Police Department lieutenant in the area saw the chase and began to assist.
During the pursuit, the driver hit two parked cars and a third vehicle with an occupant inside. That person was not hurt, according to SDPD.
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The car chase suspect continued driving but eventually lost control of their box truck and exited the roadway, where they struck a utility pole and caused the vehicle to roll before it came to a stop.
Escondido fire personnel removed the driver from the truck and transported the suspect to a nearby hospital.
Authorities said the driver was placed under arrest at the hospital and faces a charge of felony evading. SDPD said the department is still investigating if drugs and/or alcohol were a factor in the chase.
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Details on the driver’s identity, such as their name, age and sex, were not immediately released.
California Highway Patrol will investigate all crashes that occurred in the chase while SDPD will handle the criminal investigation related to the pursuit itself.
