SAN DIEGO -- A police chase in City Heights ended when a U.S. service member suspected of drunken driving slammed his car into a home where a woman was asleep on her couch Saturday morning.
The crash occurred around 2:40 a.m. in the 4100 block of Menlo Avenue. According to San Diego police, the 19-year-old male driver was spotted by officers going the wrong way near 43rd Street and El Cajon Boulevard.
They attempted to pull him over, but he refused to stop. He continued for a few blocks before crashing into the living room of a home while taking a turn too fast, police said.
There were five people in the home at the time of the crash. The force of the collision was so strong it sent a woman who was asleep on a couch flying across the room. She was taken by ambulance to a hospital with minor injuries.
Her son told 10News it felt like an earthquake when the car struck the house.
"it was shocking,” Robert Tran said. “I jumped out of my bed. My girlfriend also woke up. I told everyone get out of the house for now, see what's going on."
Along with leaving a hole in the wall, the collision damaged the sofa and cracked a television.
"The legs are destroyed, so it had to be a big impact. I don't know if she hit the TV, but the TV is cracked."
Tran's grandmother, girlfriend and brother were also home at the time of the crash. Tran says he and his girlfriend had just moved in with his mother when the crash occurred and their luggage was still in the living room when the car hit.
"It's really emotional for both of us. My mom is a single parent, single home. There's not much support but we try to keep it together between us and support each other. It's really rough."
The driver was not hurt. He is a military member, police said. He was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and evading police. His name was not released.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help Tran's family with repairs.
