A badge from an SDPD officer. (File photo courtesy SDPD)
A woman suspected of stealing a trailer in Kearny Mesa Tuesday led police on a wrong-way chase that was interrupted by an hour-long standoff and finally, her arrest.
Authorities took her into custody after she crashed the SUV she was driving while fleeing north on southbound Interstate 15.
Patrol officers responding to the alleged vehicle theft in the 7500 block of Balboa Avenue at about 7:30 a.m. spotted the late-model Toyota 4Runner the suspect was using to tow the trailer and pulled her over, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Though she initially yielded, the woman, who had a dog with her, soon sped away. The officers gave chase, public-affairs Lt. Cesar Jimenez said.
After the suspect entered northbound I-15, the SUV she was driving lost a rear tire, and she pulled to a stop in the middle of the freeway, according to police.
“Patrol vehicles were placed in front of and behind the vehicle as an added precaution,” Jimenez said. “Officers attempted to negotiate with the driver to de-escalate. However, she would not engage in conversation.”
Following roughly 60 minutes of fruitless attempts to persuade the woman to surrender, officers shot tear-gas projectiles into the SUV. The suspect then managed to put the vehicle in reverse, pushing the rear patrol car back several yards.
At that point, the woman drove away again, crossing a brushy roadside area to exit at Miramar Way, where she almost struck an 82-year-old pedestrian before re-entering the freeway, this time heading south, Jimenez said.
The woman fled on northbound SR-163 and soon merged onto the I-15, eventually winding up heading north on the southbound side, where she crashed near Pomerado Road, Sgt. Saum Poorsaleh said.
Jimenez added that “due to the heightened danger of a collision,” officers did not pursue the vehicle going the wrong way, instead relying on a SDPD patrol helicopter to monitored the suspect. The aircraft followed the SUV until it lost the trailer and then stalled on the freeway between Carroll Canyon Road and Mira Mesa Boulevard.
After the crash, the woman left the disabled vehicle along with the dog and made several failed attempts to commandeer occupied vehicles before her arrest, in traffic lanes, “as traffic was moving at slow speeds,” Jimenez said.
Officers subdued her with an electric stun gun and took her into custody, Poorsaleh said.
Paramedics transported the suspect, whose name was not released – she appeared to be in her mid-30s – to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries. She will be booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, attempted carjacking, felony evading and hit-and-run, according to police.
The pursuit and crash left the northbound side of I-15 fully blocked for a time and several southbound lanes closed as well, according to Caltrans.
Both sides of the freeway were fully open as of 10:45 a.m.
Updated 7: 45 p.m. Feb. 10, 2026
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