SAN DIEGO — A woman who allegedly violated a restraining order filed by her ex-husband led police on a 45-minute road chase from La Jolla to Emerald Hills Friday before her SUV ran out of gas, at which point she made a failed attempt to escape on foot across a busy freeway.
The pursuit began about 4:15 p.m. in the 6600 block of Vista Del Mar, near Windansea Beach and the home of the 58-year-old suspect's former spouse, according to the San Diego Police Department.
When officers tried to pull the woman over, she refused to yield and fled to the south, driving at moderate speeds through rush-hour traffic but repeatedly running stop signs and red lights, SDPD Officer Darius Jamsetjee said.
After passing through the Mount Soledad area and crisscrossing various streets in Pacific Beach, the woman got onto Interstate 5 and headed toward downtown San Diego, with officers giving chase in cruisers and from above in an SDPD helicopter.
Reaching the Middletown area, the suspect exited the freeway at Sassafras Street, then continued on to the south on various streets, including Kettner Boulevard, Hawthorn Street, Pacific Highway and Harbor Drive.
The woman eventually made her way to state Route 94 via G Street and continued fleeing to the east, Jamsetjee said. She passed through Grant Hill, Mount Hope and Chollas View before her Jeep Grand Cherokee ran out of gas and coasted to a stop near Kelton Road just before 5 p.m., the police spokesman said.
The woman then got out and ran across both sides of the freeway as motorists braked and swerved to avoid her. Officers gave chase and took her into custody without further incident a short distance away, on the north shoulder of the freeway.
No collisions or injuries were reported. The suspect's name was not immediately available.