Man arrested, suspected of making hash oil after fire at Spring Valley home
A 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of manufacturing a controlled substance after a butane hash oil lab in a Spring Valley home caught fire Wednesday night, authorities said.
The fire was reported about 7:35 p.m. at a home on Troy Street near Central Avenue, where authorities found what Drug Enforcement Administration spokeswoman Kameron Korte called a “largescale” butane hash oil lab.
She said the lab included commercial-grade equipment.
The DEA’s Narcotics Task Force seized roughly 100 pounds of processed marijuana and about 5 pounds of processed hash oil.
Hash oil — also known as honey oil, and often consumed in e-cigarettes and edible cannabis products such as cookies — is extracted from marijuana plants with the use of butane. The highly flammable gas makes the process dangerous, authorities say. Staff writer Alex Riggins contributed to this report. david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com
Deputies use Taser to arrest driver after chase, crash SAN DIEGO
Sheriff ’s deputies used a Taser during a struggle with a driver they said led them on a high-speed chase that began in the El Cajon area and ended in a crash in San Diego early Thursday.
The driver, a 53-year-old San Diparking ego man, was evaluated at a hospital before being booked into jail on suspicion of felony evading and resisting arrest, sheriff’s Sgt. Anthony Portillo said.
He said the pursuit covered 15 miles and lasted 12 minutes.
It began when a deputy tried to pull over a vehicle after its driver ran a red light at the intersection of North Magnolia and East Bradley avenues in an unincorporated area just outside of El Cajon.
The driver didn’t stop, prompting a pursuit toward Santee, where the vehicle crashed into a center median at Halberns and Mast boulevards. The driver, however, kept going at high speeds, driving onto westbound state Route 52, Portillo said.
With a San Diego police helicopter overhead, California Highway Patrol officers laid down spike strips across the westbound lanes of SR-52 near Interstate 15. The driver kept going until the vehicle crashed into a guardrail on a southbound Interstate 805 on-ramp.
The driver tried to run away, but deputies caught up to him. They used a Taser to detain him “as he struggled with deputies,” Portillo said. david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com
Man carjacked while listening to music SAN DIEGO
Police on Thursday were searching for a person who carjacked a 56-year-old man who was listening to music in a City Heights lot.
The incident happened around 9:35 p.m. Wednesday in a lot near the intersection of Euclid and University avenues, San Diego police Officer Robert Heims said.
The victim was listening to music in his red 2013 Nissan Versa sedan when a man walked up to the car, lifted his shirt up and showed that he had a gun in his waistband, Heims said. The carjacker then told the victim to get out of the car, and he complied.
The carjacker got into the Nissan, which had California license plate 7EKT818, and drove off south on Euclid, the officer said.
The carjacker was described as a 5-foot-11-inch Hispanic man in his early 20s who weighed between 150 and 180 pounds. He had a thin mustache and was last seen wearing a white shirt and a blue baseball hat.
Anyone with information on the suspect or the whereabouts of the car is asked to call the San Diego Police Department’s robbery division at (619) 531-2299. City News Service
Motorcyclist accused of riding 181 mph is arrested SAN DIEGO
Investigators from the California Highway Patrol arrested a San Diego man Tuesday who they say was involved in multiple recent incidents of street racing, reckless driving and fleeing from law enforcement.
According to the Highway Patrol, an officer also recently clocked the 32-year-old motorcyclist riding 181 mph.
San Diego-area CHP officers served a search warrant for the man Tuesday, arresting him on suspicion of felony evading, reckless driving, speed contest and being an unlicensed driver, according to CHP spokesman Officer Salvador Castro.
Jail records showed the man no longer appeared to be in custody Wednesday night.
According to Castro, the rider was involved in “numerous street racing and reckless driving incidents.” He’s also believed to have fled officers from different law enforcement agencies around San Diego County “on numerous occasions.” alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
Police follow fleeing suspect in bank robbery, arrest him LA MESA
A 35-year-old man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of robbing a bank teller at knife point in La Mesa, police said.
Police said the robber walked into the Navy Federal Credit Union on Grossmont Boulevard near Jackson Drive, pulled out a knife and demanded cash from a teller about 10 a.m.
Responding officers saw the suspect drive away and followed him. They pulled over his vehicle on Winona Avenue near Monroe Avenue, north of City Heights in San Diego. Officers reviewed surveillance camera video and identified the man as the suspect, police said. They arrested him on suspicion of robbery.
They also recovered an unspecified amount of cash. david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com
Camp Pendleton fire 80% contained; 25 acres burned CAMP PENDLETON
Camp Pendleton fire crews on Thursday continued working toward full containment of a 25acre brush fire that threatened homes and prompted evacuations a day earlier.
The blaze, which broke out Wednesday afternoon, slightly damaged one home and destroyed a car, according to information and a video provided by Marine Corps officials.
Firefighters stopped the spread of the blaze within a few hours Wednesday, and the burn area was 80 percent contained as of Thursday morning, the last time base officials gave an update.
Officials first reported the fire about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday on the west side of De Luz Road, saying the flames were moving east and threatening homes and the surrounding structures in the DeLuz housing area. According to a video base officials later released, the fire started near the homes and spread toward a Naval Criminal Investigative Service facility. alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com