SAN DIEGO -- A parolee-at-large sped off Tuesday when police tried to pull him over in Mission Valley, prompting a 15-minute road chase during which he repeatedly veered into oncoming traffic and ran stoplights before managing to elude his pursuers.

The pursuit began about 12:45 p.m. on westbound Friars Road, near Frazee Road, according to San Diego police.

Moments later, the man, who was driving a black BMW sedan, got onto State Route 163 and headed north at high speed, veering erratically between lanes at times.

In nearby Serra Mesa, the man exited the freeway, and then continued fleeing over various streets near Rady Children's Hospital while crossing into oncoming traffic and nearly causing several collisions, police said.

He then got onto Interstate 805 and headed south, passing through Mission Valley again before taking an off-ramp in the North Park area and heading west over city streets, police said.

After the driver blew through several more stop signs in the busy area, ground officers were directed to abandon the pursuit for safety reasons just before 1 p.m.

Though a police helicopter crew by then had begun monitoring the chase from above, the fleeing man, whose name was not immediately available, was able to get away, SDPD Detective Gary Hassen said.