A man wanted on a felony warrant led officers on a bizarre pursuit through National City Friday night that ended with the suspect in handcuffs, covered in laundry detergent.
San Diego Police Department Lt. Paul Rorrison said it all began around 10:15 p.m. after officers responding to a shooting in Paradise Hills spotted a suspicious vehicle fleeing the area at a high-rate of speed, near State Route 54 and Woodman Street.
When police ran the car’s plates they found the vehicle was stolen, and a pursuit ensued through Paradise Hills and National City.
A short time later – near East 8th Street and South Euclid Avenue – the driver stopped the car, got out and fled on foot. He began running through residents' backyards in order to evade police.
Lt. Rorrison said police set up a perimeter around the area and about an hour later, officers captured the suspect – a 30-year-old man who, coincidentally, was wanted on a $100,000 felony warrant.
The suspect was found hiding underneath a tarp in the backyard of a home.
Lt. Rorrison said the man had doused himself in laundry detergent, likely in an effort to cover his scent as police dogs searched the area, but his strange tactic didn’t work.
He was taken into custody and faces multiple charges, including vehicle theft and felony evading. Lt. Rorrison said the man is also a suspect in a string of burglaries in San Diego County.
His name has not been released.