A UCSD student crashed his 2002 Ford Explorer into Blake Hall at the conclusion of a San Diego Police Department chase at 12:50 a.m. on Feb. 8, awakening Revelle students.
Guardian
According to officer Michael James of the SDPD, a routine accident investigation was taking place on North Torrey Pines Road when the Explorer drove by. The driver turned off his lights, arousing the suspicion of the SDPD.
Officers pulled in behind the car and turned on their lights and sirens in an attempt to pull him over, James said. At this point, the driver began driving erratically and tried to outrun the police at a high speed, according to James.
He said the driver eventually turned onto the UCSD campus near Pacific Hall and the construction site of the new natural sciences building. According to James, the driver then came up the road and made a hard right turn toward Revelle, cut across the grass, and with tires screeching, slammed his vehicle into the northwest side of Blake Hall.
SDPD pulled up a moment later, followed closely by Resident Security Officers, passers-by and startled residents.
“”It felt like an earthquake,”” said Blake Hall resident Faye van der Fluit, whose room is above the site of the crash. “”It felt like something was shaking the whole building.””
The building appeared to suffer no major structural damage, but the car was badly smashed. The front right side of the Explorer was the point of impact and the tire on that side was folded under the vehicle with transmission fluid covering the ground.
James reported no major injuries to the three passengers or the driver. The passengers were not charged with any crime at the scene, but the driver faces some serious consequences.
James confirmed that the driver is a student at UCSD and said that he will face charges of DUI and felony failure to yield.
Both charges could carry jail time with the DUI alone allowing for a convicted driver to serve up to six months in jail. The driver’s name was not released.
