A San Diego man believed to be armed and dangerous and on the run after the killing of a brother and sister in Mountain View was cornered by SDPD officers for hours before being arrested early Friday.
After a high-speed freeway pursuit, officers said a man suspected in the double homicide was involved in a SWAT standoff in City Heights, refusing to get out of his vehicle.
At about 9:30 p.m., an SDPD officer spotted a man driving in the 1000 block of South 43rd Street. The officer tried to pull the suspect over, but Vega fled.
Police then started chasing the driver through the city, driving on Interstate 15, Interstate 805 and Interstate 5 at different points. Amid the pursuit, the man threw a handgun out of the window of his car, police confirmed.
The chase ended in the 3500 block of Van Dyke Avenue, where a SWAT team was called in, nearby houses and apartments were evacuated.
The man inside the green Oldsmobile was Felipe DeJesus Vega, 39, the man accused of killing brother and sister Alexis Velarde, 22, and Arline Iribe, 20, on Sunday behind a home in the 1100 block of South 43rd Street.
When the SWAT team arrived, they drove their BearCat armored vehicle into the back of Vega's car. The scene was near at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Van Dyke, close to Joyner Elementary School. For several hours, police called out the name "Felipe," telling him in Spanish to come out.
Tear gas was deployed toward the suspect at least twice, but the standoff continued for more than two hours. A K-9 officer was also deployed on Vega.
Then, the sound of multiple shots fired led to the end of the standoff at approximately 12:35 a.m.
According to the SDPD, Vega exited his car and allegedly reached for his waistband while turning toward officers and emergency negotiators.
There was a struggle between the officers and the suspect that lasted several seconds. One officer -- an 11-year veteran of the police department -- fired one round at Vega, striking him in his upper torso.
Vega was handcuffed and loaded into an ambulance which transported him to a local hospital. SDPD officials said the suspect is in stable condition, as of early Friday.
No officers were injured in this standoff and shooting, the SDPD said.
The bodies of Velarde and Iribe were found on the driveway at Vega's home in San Diego's Mountain View community on Nov. 8, and police had been searching for the suspect ever since.
Family of the victims described Vega was a close family friend. Police said Velarde tried to shield his sister from the gunfire before he died. Both siblings succumbed to their wounds.
Investigators have not yet released any details about a possible motive for the killings.
