SAN DIEGO — A reportedly suicidal father and his two 2-year-old daughters were rescued Saturday after the man's truck hit the bottom of Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma, police said.
A woman called the Sheriff's Department at 4:30 a.m. and reported that the father had taken the children and was allegedly threatening to drive off the Coronado Bay Bridge, Officer Tony Martinez of the SDPD said.
A few minutes later, police officers spotted the vehicle and family on Hill Street near Cornish Drive, but the vehicle allegedly raced away and went over the cliff, Martinez said. The officers were speaking to dispatchers as it happened and the chilling audio recounts what they observed.
The truck quickly took on water after is smashed into rocks at the bottom of the cliff.
An officer went down the cliff and found the father and one daughter outside the Dodge truck, which was upside down in the water, police said.
News 8's Monique Griego spoke to the officer who has a history of heroism.
Lifeguards and medics were called in to assist.
The second daughter was rescued from the truck wreckage, and all three were taken to hospitals to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Martinez said.
The identities of the three were not immediately released.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story indicated the toddlers are 3 years old; it was later updated to indicate they are 2 years old.