A suspected stolen Tesla drove onto the Pacific Beach boardwalk in San Diego on Monday afternoon, striking a 25-year-old woman and sending her to the hospital in critical condition. The driver then abandoned the vehicle and was chased and detained by bystanders until police arrived.
Incident Details
The collision occurred around 12:40 p.m. at the intersection of Thomas and Reed avenues, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. The woman was transported to a hospital with critical injuries.
Earlier, around 12:20 p.m., San Diego Police Department officers responded to a report of a stolen Tesla that its owner was tracking. About ten minutes later, officers located the vehicle driving south on Mission Boulevard. When they attempted to stop the driver, he did not yield, and a pursuit began.
During the chase, the driver struck a San Diego Gas and Electric transformer and continued toward the Pacific Beach boardwalk. Due to the increasing risk to public safety, a field supervisor terminated the pursuit, SDPD said.
Boardwalk Chaos
The stolen Tesla then traveled onto the boardwalk northbound from Pacific Beach Drive, driving fast near pedestrians. Witness Miguel Valle described hearing a commotion and then seeing the car speed by.
“I just heard some sounds down there, commotion like something hit something, and obviously he hit a gal over here. And so that was the sound that I heard,” Valle said. “Then a moment later I see a navy blue Tesla flying by me at least 50 mph, trying to get away from the pursuit.”
Surveillance video shows another woman walking on the boardwalk jumping out of the way just as the driver sped by. She was evaluated by emergency responders and was reported to be all right.
“A lot of people dove out of the way very quickly, and it really could have been so much worse,” said SDFD spokesperson Candace Hadley. “This is a very busy boardwalk. Having someone drive through this area is incredibly frightening.”
Alex Srour, a beachgoer from Santee, was walking on the boardwalk when the car rushed by him. “I was in the middle of the path and I launched myself off my bike,” Srour said.
Bystanders Chase and Detain Driver
The driver stopped the Tesla in front of the Baja Beach Cafe. Srour ran after him, recording the chase on his Meta sunglasses, which have a built-in camera. His video shows several people chasing the man as he runs into a nearby parking lot and falls to the ground. Srour appears to pin him down, and a verbal exchange ensues.
In the video, Srour yells at the man to get on the ground, and the man appears to plead with him. Srour, along with other pedestrians, detained the man until officers arrived and took him into custody, SDPD said.
Investigation and Aftermath
SDPD is conducting a felony hit-and-run investigation into the incident. The driver was suspected of being under the influence, police said.
Lifeguards initially responded to the incident, quickly followed by SDFD and SDPD. Police blocked off the area of Thomas Avenue and Mission Boulevard near Open Bar for several hours. By 4 p.m., the boardwalk had reopened.