LAKESIDE, Calif. (KGTV)--What began as a case of road rage in Lakeside Saturday resulted in a fiery crash into a salon and a deputy pursuit that ended with a man stabbing himself in the neck, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
Around 6:50 p.m., two vehicles traveling westbound on Highway 67 became involved in a road rage incident. The vehicle being pursued exited the highway with plans to head to the Lakeside Sheriff's substation to get help, officials said.
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The second vehicle tried to accelerate around the first car but lost control and crashed into a hair salon on Parkside Street. The car burst into flames which set the salon ablaze, officials said.
The two occupants of the crashed car, a female driver and a male passenger, then fled the scene on foot.
A responding sheriff's deputy noticed a white sedan leaving rapidly from the nearby crash scene with a person matching the description of the male passenger that ran from the burning vehicle. The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle but the motorist accelerated from the scene.
During the pursuit, one of the four occupants jumped out of the moving car and suffered a head and shoulder injury. The injured man was transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital and he was not charged with a crime, deputies said.
The pursuit continued to an El Cajon CVS Pharmacy on Fletcher Parkway where the three remaining occupants fled on foot.
One man, 35-year-old Ruben Chavez of Chula Vista, was caught immediately and booked into jail on drug and weapons charges.
Another man escaped.
The third man, 27-year-old Erik Talavera, pulled out a knife and threatened to stab himself before barricading himself inside the store's break room.
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Deputies were able to force the door open but Talaveras began to repeatedly stab himself in the neck with the knife, prompting one deputy to use a Taser to subdue him.
Talaveras was hospitalized but authorities said he will be booked on various charges once he's released from medical care.
In 2014, Talaveras was stopped by police for a stolen car and stabbed himself then, said Sgt. Lopez.
Authorities have identified the occupants in the car that crashed into the salon but they are still on the loose.
Deputies thought they were pursuing suspects in the road rage incident, but now say the pursuit of the white sedan was unrelated.
Sandy Coronilla is a KGTV digital producer. Follow her @10NewsSandy
VEHICLE VS. STRUCTURE: Div4104 is Parkside IC reporting vehicle fire w/extension to commercial building. Engine 2 is "fire attack." pic.twitter.com/lPV5u72tUU
— Lakeside Fire (LKS) (@LakesideFire) July 2, 2017
