15-Mile Chase From El Cajon To SD Ends In Guardrail Crash, Arrest

EL CAJON, CA — A 53-year-old man was arrested Thursday morning after allegedly leading deputies on a roughly 12-minute pursuit that spanned 15 miles from El Cajon to San Diego and ended when he crashed into a guardrail near an Interstate 805 connector ramp, authorities said.

Shortly before 1:45 a.m., a deputy saw a driver run a red light at the intersection of North Magnolia and East Bradley avenues, in an unincorporated area just north of El Cajon, San Diego County Sheriff's Sgt. Anthony Portillo said.

The deputy attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the driver refused and fled north into Santee, Portillo said. At one point, the vehicle struck a center median at the intersection of Halberns and Mast boulevards, but the driver entered state Route 52 and kept driving into San Diego.

A sheriff's helicopter kept tabs on the vehicle as deputies and California Highway Patrol officers worked to deploy a spike strip on westbound SR-52 near Interstate 15, the sergeant said.

The vehicle ran over the spike strip, then the driver crashed into a guardrail around 1:55 a.m. at the westbound SR-52 connector to Interstate 805, Portillo said. The driver got out of the vehicle and attempted to run away, but deputies caught up to him and deployed a Taser to subdue him as he struggled.

The driver, later identified as 53-year-old Larry Route of San Diego, was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation following the traffic collision, he said. No deputies or officers were injured during the pursuit.

Route was later released from the hospital and booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of felony evading, resisting arrest and driving on a suspended license, according to jail records. He was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Oct. 30.

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--City News Service