High-Speed Chase Beginning in La Mesa Ends With Discovery of Car

A dangerous high-speed pursuit starting at the Heritage Inn on Fletcher Parkway ended Friday morning with the driver and his passenger remaining at large, authorities said.

The car was a white 1988 Toyota Camry with California plate 2LQR720, which had been reported stolen in San Diego on Jan. 3, La Mesa police said.

The Camry was found crashed into a light pole at Ice Skate Place and Karma Drive in Mira Mesa, police said. The driver fled on foot.

U-T San Diego reported: “A 10News helicopter followed the pursuit, broadcasting it live for about 40 minutes. One passenger was seen jumping out of the car, which slowed down briefly, in Clairemont during the pursuit. The passenger was not caught by police.”

The 10News report online carried a photo of the crashed vehicle (attached).

At 5:49 a.m, La Mesa police officers attempted to stop a stolen vehicle as it was leaving the parking lot of the Heritage Inn at 7851 Fletcher Parkway.

“The driver of the vehicle stopped briefly and then sped away from the officers, which led them on a high speed pursuit,” said Lt. Matt Nicholass.  “The driver failed to pull over as the officers followed with their lights and sirens.”

The pursuit went through parts of La Mesa, where the driver ran red lights and traveled at speeds up to 60 mph, Nicholass said. 

The pursuit went onto westbound Interstate 8 and into San Diego at speeds up to 100 mph.  The California Highway Patrol and San Diego police assisted in attempting to stop this vehicle. The Camry was seen blowing through red lights and residential areas at high speeds without its headlights on, according to news reports.

Police ended the pursuit about 6:20 a.m., with the suspect last seen heading up toward the Carmel Valley area. Within an hour, the Camry was found abandoned.

The thieves were described as follows:

• White male 20-30 years old, wearing a white shirt with short hair.
• White female 20-30 years old, wearing a light colored shirt and possibly brown bushy hair or had something over her head.

These suspects are wanted for felony evading and possession of a stolen vehicle.  Anyone with information on the suspects is asked to call the La Mesa Police Department at 619-667-1400 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477. 

City News Service contributed to this report.