100-mph chase ends in Friars Road crash
The driver of a silver sedan going 100 mph the wrong way on state routes 54 and 125 led a deputy roaring west on Mission Gorge from Santee into San Diego before being arrested Saturday night.
Other motorists first reported the car going east in westbound lanes of Route 54 near Interstate 5 in National City about 10:10 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
Other drivers reported the car’s progress as it flashed eastbound, then headed north in southbound lanes of Route 125 about 10:18 p.m.
Reaching Santee within minutes, the driver turned west on Mission Gorge Road with a sheriff’s deputy in pursuit. The deputy radioed that the Toyota was running red lights, changing lanes erratically and continuing at 90 to 100 mph.
A San Diego police helicopter joined the pursuit as the car went west on Friars Road. It drove onto a center island thick with ice plant at the on-ramp to state Route 163 in Mission Valley, disabling the car at 10:34 p.m., officials said.
The driver, who had been reported to San Diego police as a suicidal missing person at risk, was taken into custody and then to a hospital for a psychological evaluation. He was not hurt in the crash. He will be booked into jail on suspicion of felony evading and reckless driving when he is released.
