La Mesa police officers responded to a call on Sunday regarding multiple alarm activations on the 7800 block of University Avenue. At about 7:30 PM, an officer noticed a male figure rushing through the front of one of the buildings. Even after being commanded to halt, the suspect decided to flee the scene in a vehicle at a notable speed, sparking an attempt by the officers to bring the situation under control.
A subsequent sighting of the suspect was reported as he tried to force his way into another local business. Once again, he made a hasty retreat when approached by law enforcement. The pursuit came to a head when the individual barricaded himself inside his vehicle and dismissed officers' commands. According to the La Mesa Police Department's Facebook post, this stand-off lasted approximately 50 minutes, during which officers employed various de-escalation techniques to no avail.
The police were eventually compelled to use less-than-lethal force options due to "concerns for the safety of the public and officers," as stated in the aforementioned Facebook post. These measures successfully led to the suspect exiting his vehicle, and he was taken into custody without any reported incidents or injuries.
The suspect has been charged with Commercial Burglary and Felony Evading and is currently being held at San Diego County Jail.
