A car chase ended in the residence area of Earl Warrren College when San Diego police arrested two male nonaffiliates for assault with a deadly weapon.
The two men, 19-year-old Eric Bradford and 21-year-old Kevin Burch, chased a UCSD student from Westfield Shoppingtown UTC mall to the Warren college area, according to police. The driver, Bradford, was also charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and for felony evasion of a peace officer.
San Diego Police Sgt. Tom Morris said Bradford and Burch came in contact with the UCSD student’s Jeep near UTC. According to Morris, when the suspects began to chase the Jeep and threaten the safety of the female driver and her male passenger, it became assault.
According to police, the cars then headed across campus, entering by Campus Point Drive near East Parking and the Preuss School. The cars sped over the freeway overpass and headed toward Warren college.
Morris said the Jeep stalled near the Warren Mall on Voigt Drive, where Bradford and Burch exited a white 1999 Toyota Supra, headed toward the Jeep and began to pound on the windows and soft top. The Jeep’s driver eventually was able to restart the car and sped off toward the Marshall campus where the passenger in the Jeep dialed 911, Morris said.
UCSD police said a squad car headed toward Warren, where it caught up with the Toyota, which had fallen behind the Jeep, and that the driver of the car refused to yield to the officers and ran several stop signs.
Bradford, heading toward Warren college on Voigt Drive, made a left on Equality Lane and headed toward the end of the cul-de-sac where he and Birch exited the car.
Warren student Ruhul Kaliki described the event as he witnessed it from the window of his apartment.
“”I heard the cars pulling up, screeching. He drove up there and stopped at the barriers,”” Kaliki said.
Kaliki said he saw Bradford and Burch get out of the car and go into the Warren residence area.
“”I kind of wished I would have chased after the guys but they caught them anyway, so it’s cool,”” Kaliki said.
According to police, the men exited their car and walked toward the west entrance of Goldberg Hall. The men were approached by Resident Security Officer Jose Bonilla, who said they appeared intoxicated, and Bonilla began to approach the men as a typical alcohol-related stop. Soon after, the police arrived and Bradford and Burch were questioned and officers identified them as the men involved in the chase. Bradford and Burch were then arrested and transported to Central Jail.
Witnesses reported that Bradford and Burch appeared calm during questioning and did not have the demeanor of people who would soon be arrested. One Warren student said Bradford was smoking a cigarette while talking to the police, just prior to the arrest.
Morris, who was at the scene, said it was “”almost like a ‘why are you harassing us’ type of thing.””
Morris also said that Bradford, the driver, was obviously intoxicated. Bradford had a blood alcohol content of .08 percent, exceeding the legal limit for a driver.
Both Bradford and Burch were arraigned and pleaded not guilty to all charges. Bradford is scheduled for a Dec. 5 court date and is housed at the George Bailey Jail in Otay Mesa. Burch is at the South Bay Jail in Chula Vista and is scheduled for a court hearing Nov. 28.
