A woman driving an SUV with no license plates refused to pull over for police officers Thursday, prompting a 25-minute, slow-speed pursuit from Talmadge to La Mesa that included U-turns, stops and spike strips.
Police officers working a traffic detail first tried to stop the woman behind the wheel of a black SUV at 54th Street and El Cajon Boulevard at around 11:05 a.m. when they saw her drive by without license plates on her vehicle.
Instead of stopping, the woman -- now identified as Diane Daniels, 57 -- traveled north on 54th Street to Collwood Boulevard, then eastbound onto Montezuma Road near San Diego State University.
At around 11:10 a.m., Daniels momentarily pulled over to the right side of the road. Officers got out of their vehicles. Moments later, the woman had a change of heart and began driving forward again.
Daniels swerved to the other side of the street before continuing on the right side of the street and making a turn. Minutes later, she stopped her SUV for a second time at an intersection on El Cajon Boulevard.
The chase continued into La Mesa, as Daniels turned onto Baltimore Drive and then westbound to University Avenue. She then took a U-turn and traveled east University Avenue.
At around 11:20 a.m., Daniels stopped near the La Mesa Police Department station. An officer attempted to throw a spike strip in front of the suspect's truck but failed to get the spike strip under the wheels.
The driver took off again.
About four minutes later, when the suspect took a U-turn along Baltimore Drive north of University Avenue, several police patrol cars were able to position themselves around the SUV, boxing in the suspect along 4900 Baltimore Drive in front of homes, across the street from a car dealership.
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Officers surrounded the SUV but no one came out.
"They had their guns drawn for a while, telling her to get out, and the woman rolled up her windows," witness Steve Laxner told NBC 7. "She wasn’t going anywhere. So, they smashed the glass and pulled her out of the vehicle, handcuffed her and took her away."
At 11:30 a.m., Daniels was pulled out of the truck, handcuffed and placed in the back of a police patrol car.
Laxner, who lives about a block away from the La Mesa Police Station, said he went outside after hearing police helicopters circling overhead. He saw the end of the chase, as officers arrested the woman.
"It was a little action for our neighborhood," he added.
The SDPD said Daniels called dispatchers during the pursuit so she was communicating with officials as she drove. She told dispatchers she wanted to pull over at the nearest police station, so they directed her to the La Mesa Police Department.
"However, when she got there, she didn’t want to stop there either," an officer explained.
Police said Daniels refused to stop because she claims she has license plates and that officers had no valid reason to pull her over.
The investigation is ongoing. No one was hurt in the ordeal.
Police said Daniels will be charged with resisting arrest and traffic infractions including crossing double-yellow lines and running a red light. She will also be charged for driving without a valid license.
