A man who allegedly shot two people with a shotgun Sunday, one of whom died, was arrested with the aid of a police dog after a pursuit that ended on Interstate 5 in the East Mission Bay area.
Deputies with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department were dispatched to the 2900 block of Equitation Lane in Bonita early Sunday morning after reports of a man who was shot and found down in a dirt lot near Sweetwater Farms, a Bonita horseback riding service, according to OnScene TV news service.
He was rushed to a hospital, where he was reportedly pronounced dead around 9 a.m. The deceased was identified as 54-year-old John Wesley Dooley, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO). The department described the victim as a "transient and living in the area of the shooting."
At 8:28 a.m. Sunday, the San Diego Police Department responded to reports of a man shot in the right arm with a shotgun, Officer Sarah Foster said. That victim was rushed to UC San Diego Medical Center.
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Officers found a suspect driving a Chevrolet truck and tried to pull him over, but he eluded police and drove south into Chula Vista and then north on Interstate 805 to westbound Highway 54, then headed north on I-5.
The CHP took over the pursuit when the suspect was in the East Mission Bay area, OnScene TV reported. Officers used a spike strip to deflate the suspect's tires.
The truck eventually crashed into the center divider of I-5 and the suspect exited the truck, Foster said. A police K-9 was used to bring him down and officers took the man into custody.
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A shotgun was found in the suspect's truck, the officer said. Both shootings were believed to have been committed by the suspect, who was hospitalized for treatment of dog bites and injuries from the crash.
After he is released from the hospital, the unidentified suspect could face charges in both shootings.
The shots were so loud it startled Jake English inside his own home.
"I was supposed to leave the house at 5:30 to walk my dogs so just as I woke up, I heard the two loud pops, took a look out the window, I didn’t see anything then about six minutes later I heard sirens, so I looked out the window, saw the cop cars, so I didn’t walk my dogs, and then I called in and told them that I wouldn’t make it in early this morning," English said.
English said he may change some things in the future because of the shooting.
"My wife walks my dogs when I’m at sea and around four or five in the morning is when this happened and I’m a little more uncomfortable. So I will probably put more lights and set up more cameras and just be more cautious overall with people in the area that I don’t recognize," English added.
No injuries were reported for deputies, police or CHP officers involved in the chase and arrest.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with more information on the case is encouraged to contact SDSO's Homicide Unit at 858-285-6330. Anonymous tips can be made by contacting Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
