SAN DIEGO (CNS) — A woman who allegedly stole a taxi in Santee and led law enforcement on a 25-mile pursuit that lasted 40 minutes was taken into custody in Mission Valley, authorities said.
Deputies with the San Diego Sheriff's Office spotted the taxi at 4:12 p.m. Saturday near Mission Gorge Road and Big Rock Road after it had been reported stolen about three hours earlier from the area of Mesa Road and Mission Gorge Road, SDSO Lt. Joe Barry told City News Service.
"Deputies attempted to pull over the taxi and that's when the pursuit began," Barry said.
The pursuit involved the SDSO, California Highway Patrol, San Diego Police Department and the Sheriff's Airborne Support To Regional Enforcement Agencies helicopter.
CHP officers successfully deployed a spike strip on westbound Interstate 8 in Mission Valley, bringing the car to a halt at about 4:50 p.m.
"The driver got out of the vehicle, then got back in. That's when SDPD officers deployed a K-9 unit to prevent her from taking off again," Barry said. "It was a well-managed pursuit called by ASTREA that came to a successful completion with no injuries."
While the vehicle almost hit a guardrail, for the most part, the pursuit was slow, in mostly light traffic, and no other cars were hit, according to Barry.
"There was K-9 contact that assisted us in taking her into custody," Barry said.
The Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in Santee was notified of the arrest and that the arrestee would be heading its way after treatment at a local hospital for injuries consistent with coming into contact with a police dog, according to Barry.
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