EL CAJON, Calif. -- Two men in a stolen Jeep who tried to outrun police in a high-speed chase on San Diego freeways crashed into two innocent drivers waiting at a stoplight in El Cajon Wednesday night.
Police said the chase started at about 8 p.m. when a La Mesa police officer ran the plates of the Jeep and discovered it was stolen. The Jeep sped off, getting on State Route 94 and meandering through El Cajon.
“They definitely were trying to get away,” La Mesa police officer Jeff Raybould said. “The stolen Jeep started reaching speeds of approximately 100 miles per hour before a traffic stop was even initiated.”
Stephanie Duran was driving home from church when the Jeep drove up from behind and then struck her.
“I was actually making a left turn coming off the off-ramp to Bradley on my way home,” Stephanie Deran told 10News.
At first she thought the Jeep was just trying to make room for officers to pass.
“When he first hit me, I hit the guardrail,” Deran said.
The Jeep then hit a second car and blew a tire. The suspects jumped out and tried to run. A police K-9 found one of the suspects hiding in a gulley and bit him. An officer found the other man about a block away.
Deran and the other innocent driver were not hurt.
The two accused car thieves were taken away by ambulance to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said. Their names and the charges they will face were not confirmed.
