{"id":466681,"date":"2026-09-17T11:08:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T11:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/466681\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T11:08:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T11:08:30","slug":"career-criminal-accused-of-stolen-tesla-rampage-that-injured-woman-on-san-diego-boardwalk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/466681\/","title":{"rendered":"Career criminal accused of stolen Tesla rampage that injured woman on San Diego boardwalk"},"content":{"rendered":"

The wild Tesla joyride suspect accused of plowing into a woman on a San Diego beach boardwalk<\/a> has been revealed as a career criminal with an \u201cextensive criminal history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Juan Antonio Gonzaba, 39, pleaded not guilty Wednesday after allegedly stealing a Tesla and seriously injuring a 25-year-old woman during a chaotic police chase Monday.<\/p>\n

Gonzaba faces up to 24 years and eight months in state prison if convicted on all charges.<\/p>\n

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Juan Antonio Gonzaba, 39, pleaded guilty after allegedly stealing a Tesla and seriously injuring a 25-year-old woman during a chaotic police chase.<\/p>\n

The suspect allegedly stole the Tesla in La Jolla and was spotted around 12:30 p.m. before speeding away from officers attempting to pull him over.<\/p>\n

He later slammed into a roadside electrical transformer before continuing toward the Pacific Beach Boardwalk, sending terrified pedestrians diving out of his way.<\/p>\n

The woman was struck and suffered two fractured right ribs, two fractured vertebrae and an abdominal laceration, police said. She was still in the hospital as of Wednesday. <\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people dove out of the way very quickly and it really could have been so much worse,\u201d Candace Hadley, a San Diego Fire Department public information officer, told NBC San Diego Monday.<\/p>\n

The woman was struck and suffered two fractured right ribs, two fractured vertebrae and an abdominal laceration, police said.<\/p>\n

Gonzaba\u2019s criminal past soon came to light.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a very busy boardwalk, having someone drive through this area is incredibly frightening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gonzaba eventually abandoned the Tesla and was chased by bystanders, with one witness capturing the wild pursuit<\/a> on Meta smart glasses.<\/p>\n

Alex Srour, who was wearing the glasses, witnessed the chaos and began sprinting after Gonzaba before police took him into custody.<\/p>\n

Gonzaba eventually abandoned the Tesla and was chased by bystanders.<\/p>\n

The suspect\u2019s criminal past soon came to light.<\/p>\n

Gonzaba has an \u201cextensive criminal history\u201d involving assault, battery, burglary and grand theft, according to NBC 7<\/a>.<\/p>\n

His court appearance Wednesday was nearly as chaotic as the chase.<\/p>\n

Alex Srour filmed the whole event with his Meta glasses.<\/p>\n

His court appearance Wednesday was nearly as chaotic as the chase.<\/p>\n

Gonzaba reportedly acted erratically during his arraignment and began banging his head against a glass wall. The judge also repeatedly ordered him to remain quiet.<\/p>\n

Gonzaba is suspected of being under the influence at the time of the incident. Results from a blood test remain pending.<\/p>\n

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