A man has been apprehended by the police after allegedly driving his SUV through a homeless man’s tent and subsequently leading officers on a high-speed pursuit from El Cajon to downtown San Diego. The incident unfolded when officers received a report that a 48-year-old Spring Valley man, driving a Cadillac Escalade, engaged in an argument with a homeless individual and threatened the victim near East Street and Magnolia Avenue. The suspect then purportedly used his vehicle to run over the tent, causing no reported injuries.
The following morning, as officers were gathering statements at the scene, the suspect drove past the area in his Cadillac at approximately 5:50 a.m. Witnesses promptly identified the vehicle to the police. In an attempt to pull the driver over, officers initiated a traffic stop, but the suspect refused to comply. Instead, he accelerated away from the officers, initiating a high-speed pursuit.
The pursuit quickly escalated, with the suspect reaching high speeds while heading west on Interstate 8. At one point during the chase, the driver abruptly stopped, nearly causing a collision with a pursuing police vehicle. Allegedly, he then attempted to ram the officer’s car. Eventually, the SUV exited the freeway in downtown San Diego and proceeded towards San Diego police headquarters. The suspect came to a halt in front of the building, located on Broadway near 14th Street.
Ignoring commands from the officers, the man exited his vehicle. To assist in his arrest, police deployed a K9 unit. The suspect was subsequently taken into custody and booked into jail on multiple charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, and evading arrest with wanton disregard for safety.
