A Fairbanks Ranch man, behind the wheel of his parents’ Lexus, had a little too much to drink and rammed a patrol car, prompting a police pursuit that lasted for four hours, officials said.
A security guard at a North County shopping center reported an SUV driving in circles in the parking lot Wednesday night.
When San Diego County sheriff's deputies arrived to the Poway Wal-Mart, the driver apparently spotted the deputy and backed into his patrol car, according to investigators.
The driver, identified as John Canning, 20, drove off leading deputies on a chase at speeds up to 95 miles per hour, deputies said. The sheriff's helicopter Astrea was tracking the Lexus SUV from the air when Canning drove into 4S Ranch.
During the pursuit deputies said a female passenger in the backseat called for help from her cell phone, telling deputies that Canning had been drinking and wouldn't stop to let her out.
The suspect did finally let the woman out of the SUV. After, he abandoned the vehicle and bailed on foot, deputies said.
Just before 3 a.m. Canning was arrested at his home in Fairbanks Ranch. Sheriff's officials say the ramming of the patrol vehicle is being treated as vandalism not assault on peace officer because the deputy wasn't inside the car at the time.
