Story summary
On Monday afternoon around 12:40 p.m., a man behind the wheel of a suspected stolen Tesla struck a woman on the Pacific Beach boardwalk in San Diego, causing her to be transported to a hospital in critical condition. The incident began earlier when police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle that its owner was tracking at around 12:20 p.m. After locating and pursuing the Tesla, which ignored stop commands from officers, the driver struck a transformer before speeding onto the crowded boardwalk northbound from Pacific Beach Drive.
Bystanders quickly noticed the dangerous situation and pursued the suspect as he fled on foot after abandoning the vehicle. The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department stated that while many people dove out of harm's way promptly, the incident could have had far more severe consequences if not for their quick actions.
Written for “Bystanders Chase Down Stolen Car Suspect” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
A man behind the wheel of a suspected stolen Tesla drove onto the Pacific Beach boardwalk in San Diego and struck a woman before he hopped out and was chased by bystanders Monday afternoon.
asserted
he → suspect → bystanders
The 25-year-old woman was struck by the electric vehicle around 12:40 p.m. at the intersection of Thomas and Reed avenues and was transported to a hospital in critical condition, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
uncertain
woman → strike → Department
Around 12:20 p.m., San Diego Police Department officers responded to a report of a stolen Tesla that its owner was tracking.
asserted
owner → respond → that
About 10 minutes later, officers located the Tesla driving south on Mission Boulevard.
asserted
officers → locate → Boulevard
Officers attempted to stop the driver, but he did not stop and the chase began, police said.
asserted
police → attempt → driver
During the pursuit, the driver struck a San Diego Gas and Electric transformer and continued toward the Pacific Beach boardwalk, SDPD said.
asserted
SDPD → strike → boardwalk
“Due to the increasing risk to public safety, a field supervisor terminated the pursuit,” it said.
asserted
it → increase → pursuit
The stolen Tesla then traveled onto the boardwalk northbound from Pacific Beach Drive, driving fast near pedestrians.
asserted
Tesla → steal → pedestrians
“I just heard some sounds down there, commotion like something hit something, and obviously he hit a gal over here.
asserted
he → hear → gal
And so that was the sound that I heard,” witness Miguel Valle said.
asserted
Valle → hear → that
“Then a moment later I see a navy blue Tesla flying by me at least 50 mph, trying to get away from the pursuit.”
asserted
Tesla → see → pursuit
Another woman was walking on the boardwalk but jumped out of the way right as the driver sped by, surveillance video shows.
asserted
video → walk → way
She was evaluated by emergency responders, SDFD said.
asserted
SDFD → evaluate → responders
“A lot of people dove out of the way very quickly, and it really could have been so much worse,” SDFD spokesperson Candace Hadley said.
uncertain
Hadley → dive → way
Having someone drive through this area is incredibly frightening,” Hadley added.
asserted
Hadley → have → area
Multiple people witnessed the car driving onto the boardwalk.
asserted
car → witness → boardwalk
One beachgoer from Santee described walking on the boardwalk when the car came rushing by him.
asserted
car → describe → him
“I was in the middle of the path and I launched myself off my bike,” Alex Srour said.
asserted
Srour → launch → bike
The man driving the Tesla stopped the vehicle in front of the Baja Beach Cafe, and Srour ran after him, recording the chase on his Meta sunglasses, which have a built-in camera.
asserted
which → drive → camera
His video shows a couple of other people chasing after the man as he runs into a nearby parking lot and falls to the ground.
asserted
he → show → ground
Srour appears to pin him to the ground, and a verbal exchange ensues.
asserted
exchange → appear → ground
In the video, Srour yells at the man to get on the ground, and the man appears to plead with Srour.
asserted
man → yell → Srour
Srour, along with other pedestrians, detained the man until officers arrived and took him into custody, SDPD said.
asserted
SDPD → detain → custody
SDPD is conducting a felony hit-and-run investigation into the incident.
asserted
SDPD → conduct → incident
The driver was suspected of being under the influence, police said.
asserted
police → suspect → influence
Lifeguards initially responded to the incident, quickly followed by SDFD and SDPD.
asserted
Lifeguards → respond → SDFD
A woman who jumped out of the way is all right, the fire department said.
asserted
department → jump → way
Police blocked off the area of Thomas Avenue and Mission Boulevard near Open Bar for several hours following the incident.
asserted
Police → block → incident
By 4 p.m., the boardwalk had reopened.
asserted
boardwalk → reopen → p.m.
The Aporia
