A police pursuit of a U-Haul truck towing a speedboat came to a dramatic end in Kearny Mesa early Wednesday when officers fired rounds and pepper spray to take the allegedly incoherent driver into custody.
La Mesa police officers first received 911 calls about a suspicious driver behind the wheel of a U-Haul truck in the La Mesa area before 3 a.m.
The driver was asleep at the wheel of the U-Haul, which was parked half on the street and half on the sidewalk, according to a LMPD officer. Officers approached the sleeping man but when he awoke, he sped off.
As the driver led officers on westbound I-8 to northbound I-15, the boat in tow dragged along the freeway, causing sparks to fly.
The driver eventually lost control and crashed near Claremont Mesa Boulevard but the driver still would not give himself up to police, LMPD said.
Police fired bean bag rounds to knock out the driver's side window. When the driver continued to ignore calls to come out of the vehicle, officers broke through the rest of the glass and forcefully dragged the man through the shattered window, video from the scene showed.
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The man, who has not yet been identified, appeared to be incoherent, LMPD said. It was not immediately clear if alcohol or drugs were suspected.
He was taken into custody for felony evading.
The standoff near Clairemont Mesa Boulevard briefly halted both northbound and southbound traffic on Interstate 15. All lanes were reopened before 4 a.m.
