If you were in the Mission Beach area on Fourth of July, you may have noticed an out-of-control-car drive erratically onto the sand Saturday night.
NBC7 first heard of the incident from viewers, who wrote in about a silver SUV that plowed through the sidewalk on the bay, right outside the Catamaran resort.
Robert Thele was on the beach Saturday and saw the incident play out. He says the driver was going way too fast, hitting several abandoned bikes and scaring a lot of people.
“He could’ve hurt people very easily,” Thele said.
What started off as a fender bender on Mission Boulevard ballooned into the arrest of the driver, Villiami Pomale, on charges of assault with a deadly weapon.
Images: Car Drives Onto Beach, Driver Arrested
San Diego Police say when two drivers got into the collision they began arguing.
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When an off-duty police officer pulled over and tried to intervene, he noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from one of the drivers.
The officer asked the driver to stay at the scene but that driver jumped into his car and threatened to drive off.
The off-duty officer jumped in front of the car in an attempt to keep him from driving off.
That’s when the suspect drove off, entering the bay at San Jose and driving along the water all the way to Fanuel.
The driver abandoned his car and ran off, officials said.
Chad Wail was visiting from out of town, he saw the erratic driving incident.
He told NBC 7 the beaches were packed on Saturday because of the holiday. People on the beach were “cussing, jumping and diving out of the way,” Wail said.
Officers say they eventually caught up with Pomale and took him into custody. He faces charges of driving under the influence, hit and run and assault with a deadly weapon.
No one on the beach was injured.
