Police Chase Ends in Fiery Crash in Scripps Ranch

Two men were taken into custody after their vehicle drove head-on into a parked truck

A driver was arrested following a police pursuit in the Scripps Ranch area that ended when the suspect’s vehicle collided head-on with another vehicle.

Residents living in the area of Ironwood Road and Ironwood Place were awakened by the sounds of a serious crash after 1 a.m. Wednesday.

San Diego police officers were called to a Mira Mesa apartment complex on Calle Cristobal for a report of two men casing and trying to break into cars.

Lt. Mark Bennett said when officers found the suspect’s vehicle and tried to pull the driver over, the man refused.

Police pursued the vehicle until the driver eventually ran into a parked pickup truck on Ironwood.

The driver and passenger bailed out of the car and were both taken into custody, officials said.

The vehicle that led the pursuit burst into flames. San Diego Fire-Rescue crews arrived to extinguish the fire.

When police officers searched the suspect’s vehicle, they found a backpack with mail belonging to someone other than the two men in the car, a car stereo and burglary tools.

“It looks like these guys were, in fact, up to breaking into cars,” Bennett said.

Officers will try and return the stolen property back to the owners.

The driver, identified as 25-year-old Jesse Lepe, was arrested with charges of felony evading and had a warrant out for his arrest, officers said.
 

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