Crime & Safety
Wanted Parolee Arrested After Backing Up Car into Police Cruiser
Lakeside man is held for incident involving stolen car on Lake Murray Boulevard.
A wanted parolee Wednesday backed a stolen car into a police cruiser in La Mesa, triggering a pursuit that ended with the suspect being caught in a foot chase, authorities said.
Henry Zimmeth of Lakeside was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, resisting an officer with force and possession of a stolen vehicle, said La Mesa police Lt. Matt Nicholass.
About 3:45 a.m., an officer tried to make a traffic stop on Lake Murray Boulevard.
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Before the officer could get out of his car, the suspect backed into the officer's cruise, then sped away, Nicholass said.
The officer chase ended at a dead-end in the 9400 block of Lake Murray Boulevard, according to Nicholass.
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Zimmeth, 49, bailed out and ran but was caught, Nicholass said.
Investigators learned Zimmeth was a “parolee-at-large” and driving a missing vehicle from El Cajon that had yet to be reported stolen.
No one was hurt. The officer’s cruiser sustained moderate front-end damage, Nicholass said.
Zimmeth is being held on $50,000 bail, and faces arraignment at 1:30 p.m. Friday in El Cajon Superior Court, according to jail records.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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