SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Three people, including a San Diego police officer, were injured in a crash following a high-speed chase on State Route 94 in the Emerald Hills area early Monday morning.
The pursuit ended when both the car leading the chase and a police cruiser crashed down an embankment.
The two people police were chasing suffered major injuries in this crash, according to the San Diego Police Department.
SDPD says the chase started when the officer pulled the car over for a traffic violation on eastbound 94 at the I-805 connector.
ABC 10News' cameras caught the moment one of the suspects was carried out of the car with visible injuries after the pursuit ended. The 10News Breaking News Tracker also captured parts of the chase via its dashcam.
During the chase, the suspect exited off Kelton Road at a high speed, and they lost control when trying to navigate back onto the freeway. This caused the crash into a nearby embankment.
A police officer also crashed into the same embankment because he couldn't stop in time.
SDPD says the officer whose car went down the embankment was complaining about back pain. It's unclear at this point if the officer is still in the hospital
The department says when officers decide to pursue suspects in a high-speed chase, they have to weigh the risk to public safety and the danger of the offense the suspect is accused of committing. The officers then have the responsibility to end the pursuit when the benefits of an immediate arrest are outweighed by the hazards of continuing the pursuit.
The area near the crash was closed for several hours.
