Fleeing Driver Leads High-Speed Police Chase On I-5, SR-52

SAN DIEGO, CA — A motorist who refused to yield for a routine traffic stop near Old Town led police on a high-speed pursuit over two freeways Tuesday before crashing the car he was driving alongside Mission Trails Regional Park and being arrested, authorities said.

The motorist, whose name was not immediately available, fled when an officer tried to pull him over for a registration violation in the area of Hancock and West Washington streets at about 1:20 p.m., according to the San Diego Police Department.

The driver sped off to the north on Interstate 5, at times reaching speeds of about 110 mph and using the shoulder of the freeway to pass slower-moving traffic, SDPD spokesman Scott Lockwood said.

In the North Clairemont area, the fleeing motorist, who had a passenger with him in a gray-and-green Lexus, merged onto state Route 52 and continued to the east through Kearny Mesa and Tierrasanta.

At about 1:35 p.m., the Lexus crashed into several other vehicles, spun out and skidded to a halt just west of Mast Boulevard, near Santee. Officers then directed the driver and his passenger to exit the damaged vehicle and took them into custody without further incident.

No injuries were reported, Lockwood said.

— City News Service