A man accused of reckless driving led San Diego police on multiple pursuits Sunday morning before authorities tracked his pickup truck onto the sand at Pacific Beach and took him into custody in front of stunned beachgoers, as reported by Fox News.
The incident began shortly before 7:30 a.m. when the San Diego Police Department received multiple calls reporting a driver behaving recklessly in the Pacific Beach neighborhood, according to police.
Witnesses told authorities that the driver of a tan or gold Nissan Frontier had been doing donuts in parking lots, nearly striking other vehicles and possibly hitting curbs and a retaining wall.
Officers arrived within minutes and spotted the truck traveling west toward the ocean. Police attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver allegedly fled, leading officers to begin a pursuit.
Authorities later ended that pursuit because of what police described as the driver’s “increasing wanton disregard to public safety.”
Police subsequently located the Nissan again, but authorities said the driver failed to yield for a second time. Another pursuit began and was also terminated.
By that point, police said the truck was wanted in connection with felony evading. Officers increased their presence in the area and continued searching for the vehicle.
The Nissan was eventually spotted again traveling slowly. Officers decided against immediately attempting another traffic stop and instead waited until the San Diego Police Department’s ABLE helicopter, short for Airborne Law Enforcement, was in position to monitor the truck.
Police said the helicopter followed the Nissan as it drove onto Pacific Beach and headed toward the water.
Video from the scene showed beachgoers watching as officers converged on the pickup truck parked on the sand.
The driver, identified by police as 25-year-old Griffin Charles Foy, exited the vehicle and raised his hands as officers approached.
Police said a K-9 was present at the scene but was not deployed during Foy’s arrest.
Authorities conducted what they described as a high-risk vehicle stop because of the alleged violations and Foy’s “disregard to public safety.”
Foy was taken into custody without further incident.
He was booked into San Diego Central Jail on charges of felony evading a peace officer with wanton disregard for safety, obstructing or resisting a peace officer, and driving under the influence of drugs, according to police.
Despite the multiple pursuits and the arrest on a crowded public beach, authorities said no one was injured.
The incident drew attention because of the unusual conclusion to the police response, with officers ultimately locating and arresting the suspect after his vehicle traveled from neighborhood streets onto one of San Diego’s best-known beaches.
Police did not report additional injuries or damage in connection with the incident. The investigation and criminal case against Foy will proceed through the appropriate legal process.
