SAN DIEGO -- Deputies had to use pepper balls, a bean-bag gun and a service dog Wednesday to arrest a woman suspected of making death threats before leading authorities on a 30-minute chase over East County freeways and surface streets.

The pursuit began just after 10 a.m., when a deputy arrived in the 8900 block of Leigh Avenue in Spring Valley to investigate a report of a person loitering suspiciously inside a yellow sport utility vehicle in the neighborhood, sheriff's Lt. Mike Munsey said.

As the patrol cruiser approached, the woman, who was identified as Sharon Phipps of Lakeside, drove off, then refused to yield when the deputy tried to pull her over, Munsey said.

Due to the speeding Phipps' erratic driving, pursuing sheriff's personnel soon backed off and began tailing her from a distance so she might slow down, Munsey said. A short time later, Phipps turned into a parking lot outside a Home Depot store on Broadway in Lemon Grove and stopped, and deputies pulled in behind her vehicle.

She refused to get out of the SUV, then took off again, steering directly toward a deputy while maneuvering to get out of the lot, Munsey said. The patrolman was able to jump out of the way in time to avoid getting hit.

The pursuit continued through various neighborhoods and along stretches of State Routes 54 and 125, northbound Interstate 805 and Imperial Avenue.

Shortly after 10:30 a.m., Phipps re-entered Spring Valley and pulled to a stop at a cul-de-sac on Rebecca Avenue, near Mount Miguel High School.

There, she continued refusing to follow orders to surrender until deputies used the non-lethal compliance equipment and turned the police dog loose on her, Munsey said.

At that point, the sheriff's personnel were able to take the suspect into custody. Phipps was transported to an emergency room for an evaluation of dog bites and other apparently minor injuries.

Phipps will be booked into county jail on various charges, including evading police and assault on a peace officer, the lieutenant said.

Following the pursuit, sheriff's officials got word that Phipps was believed to have threatened to kill people at a La Mesa business earlier in the morning.

At times during the chase, the fleeing woman was using her cell phone to talk to California Highway Patrol personnel, according to Munsey. It was unclear what she was saying during the conversations, he said.

Before the pursuit happened, Spring Valley resident Deborah Phillips said she didn't know what to think when Phipps drove onto her Spring Valley driveway and began honking.

"She was saying she used to live here and I took her house away," said Phillips. "I was like, 'wow, I don't even know you.'"

Phillips said Phipps then tried to run her over, backing into her fence in the process.

"I was really scared for being a female. I worried about what she was going to do," she said. "She tried to hit me with the car, [so] I knew it was serious."

Phillips said the woman started throwing casino cards out her window before driving away.

"She tore out of here like a storm," she said. "I knew it wasn't going to have a happy ending."