People were forced to dive out of the way when a man in a stolen Tesla raced down a busy boardwalk to flee from police. That’s what happened in San Diego as pedestrians were enjoying a morning stroll along the beachfront. Unfortunately, one woman who was with her boyfriend on the boardwalk was unable to get out of the way and suffered major injuries after being struck by the Tesla. Moments later, the car thief then tried to escape on foot, but several bystanders decided not to let the suspect run away.
Video shows suspect being chased on foot by man who was almost run over
On September 14, 39-year-old Juan Antonio Gonzaba was caught on camera speeding away from police in a stolen blue Tesla sedan on the Pacific Beach Boardwalk, as reported by NBC San Diego.
According to a court statement from Deputy District Attorney Tyler Nigut, Gonzaba stole the vehicle in La Jolia as the Tesla’s owner tracked its location using on her cellphone. She notified San Diego police of the theft, and officers responded by attempting to pull the vehicle over in a traffic stop at around 12:30 p.m. as it was heading south on Mission Boulevard.
However, Gonzaba fled and later struck a roadside electrical transformer, forcing officers to stop their pursuit “due to the increasing risk to public safety.”
Gonzaba then continued to flee by speeding down the Pacific Beach Boardwalk. Footage taken from surveillance cameras of various businesses along the boardwalk shows several pedestrians noticing the speeding vehicle and quickly getting out of the way. One woman in a pink top is seen going over the gray divider just in the nick of time as the sedan nearly collides into her. Other civilians are able to get out of the car’s path by hiding behind a building or a pole.
However, one 25-year-old woman, later identified as Olivia, was struck by the Tesla. She suffered major injuries, including broken ribs and fractures to her spine.
GoFundMe started female victim struck by Tesla
After colliding into the woman, Gonzaba is forced to stop the Tesla and gets out of the stolen vehicle in an attempt to flee from the scene.
Unfortunately for him, one man who says he was hit by the driver decided to run after the suspect and recorded the foot chase by using his Meta glasses. According to the bystander, who posted the video of the pursuit as @alexhsrour on Instagram, he was going on a “normal bike ride after work” when he was hit by the Tesla that was going “70+MPH on the boardwalk.”
“I was struck by the idiot and he decided the best decision was to run,” he wrote. “I chased him along with 3 great individuals … [I] truly got so overwhelmed with adrenaline.”
In the video, the bystander is heard trying to get other people to help him chase Gonzaba down. The suspect tried to sprint through an alleyway next to a large delivery truck and into a parking lot. That’s where the pursuers are able to catch up to him, with Gonzaba seen tumbling onto the pavement as he is surrounded and detained by the group of bystanders. A second part to the video shows an officer finally reaching Gonzaba and arresting him on the spot.
Gonzaba faces charges of auto theft, assault with a deadly weapon, and hit-and-run, which carries a maximum sentence of 24 years and 8 months in state prison if he is convicted of all charges. In court, Nigut stated that Gonzaba had an “extensive criminal history” that includes assault, battery, grand theft, and burglary. He revealed that at the time of the incident the suspect was on a grant of mental health diversion in three recent cases.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the victim, Olivia, by the owner of a gym that she is a member of. The crowdfunding post says she “suffered two broken ribs, two fractured vertebrae, and a five-inch laceration that required more than 20 stitches.” It states that Olivia spent five nights at the hospital and faces months of recovery. At the time of writing, the GoFundMe has raised over $26,000.
