University Avenue

Duo in Stolen Car Arrested in Police Chase in Hillcrest

The chase began on Fifth Avenue – in the heart of Hillcrest – and took police up University Avenue Thursday morning

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A man driving a stolen car led police on a chase through the heart of Hillcrest Thursday that ended with him ditching the car and running through a yard, down an embankment and towards the freeway.

The ordeal began just after 10:40 a.m. when a San Diego Police Department officer spotted the stolen Blue Passat cruising along the 300 block of Fifth Avenue. The officer ran the plates and confirmed it was a stolen car.

The officer tried to pull over the driver, but the driver took off.

The chase was on.

A few minutes later, the driver crashed near University and Tenth avenues. He tried to wedge the Passat between the No. 1 lane and another car, police told NBC 7.

The driver then hopped out of the car and started to run.

He ran through a nearby shopping plaza, over a pedestrian bridge and through a Hillcrest resident’s yard. For the final stretch of the chase, he ran down an embankment toward Interstate 163.

Officers were able to catch up with him and he was arrested.

Officers also arrested a female passenger who had been inside the stolen car. She also ran away from the scene but was soon taken into custody.

NBC 7 spoke with residents who witnessed the commotion during the chase. One man was out walking his dogs when he saw police cars zooming up and down University Avenue.

No one was hurt in the pursuit, the SDPD said. The suspect’s name was not immediately released.

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