SAN DIEGO (CNS) - An auto theft suspect who refused to yield for a traffic stop in the Mission Bay area Tuesday fled from officers through various coastal neighborhoods, ramming a patrol car before authorities called off the chase for safety reasons.
The pursuit began shortly before 8:30 a.m., when an officer tried to pull over a stolen 2010 Honda Civic in the 3200 block of Mariner's Way in Mission Beach, according to San Diego police.
The motorist sped off to the west and south, soon merging onto southbound Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and continuing on into Ocean Beach, SDPD public-affairs Officer Joshua Hodge said.
In the 4500 block of Castelar Street, near Collier Neighborhood Park, the driver plowed the stolen car into a parked vehicle and a pursuing cruiser, tearing the front bumper off the Civic in the process. The second crash was believed to have been intentional, Hodge said.
At that point, police terminated the roughly 20-minute chase due to the suspect's reckless driving, and he sped away.
Later in the morning, officers found the damaged Honda in the Crown Point area and took a man into custody for questioning. His name was not immediately available.
