ESCONDIDO (CNS) - A driver who refused to yield to the California Highway Patrol Friday on Interstate 15 near Lake Hodges led a brief high-speed pursuit that ended when he got into a four-vehicle collision in front of Westfield North County mall, after which he escaped on foot.
A CHP officer tried to pull the man over about 10 a.m. for speeding and weaving recklessly between lanes in a blue Honda Civic on the southbound side of the freeway near Del Lago Boulevard in southern Escondido.
The driver sped off, reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph before exiting onto Rancho Bernardo Road, driving underneath the I-15 bridge over the street and getting back onto the interstate, this time heading north, Highway Patrol Officer Mike Martinez said.
A short time later, the fleeing man exited at East Via Rancho Parkway -- near where the pursuit began -- and promptly lost control of the car, sending it crashing into three other vehicles.
A that point, the suspect, who appeared to be in his 20s or 30s, got out and ran off into a parking lot at the nearby shopping center. Officers fanned out through the area but were unable to find him.
The occupants of the vehicles struck by the Civic -- which turned out to be stolen -- suffered only bumps, bruises and other minor injuries, Martinez said.