Stolen SUV crashes, suspected driver caught

ESCONDIDO — The driver of a stolen SUV led sheriff’s deputies on a pursuit around Valley Center early Friday before crashing into an apartment gate in Escondido, where he and a passenger were arrested.

Escondido police broadcast a report about 6 a.m. that a white Toyota Highlander, with a New Mexico license plate, had been stolen near East Valley Parkway, sheriff’s officials said.

A few minutes later, a deputy spotted the Highlander on Valley Center Road near Mac Tan Road in Valley Center, authorities said.

The deputy tried to pull over the SUV driver, who sped off westbound. An Escondido officer tossed a spike strip onto the roadway, trying to flatten the SUV’s tires, but the driver swerved around it and kept going, sheriff’s Lt Kelly Martinez said.

The driver pulled into an apartment complex on North Quince Street in Escondido and rammed an exit gate. He couldn’t get through the gate, so he ran.

Authorities arrested the male passenger, Mena Lazaro, 43, who stayed in the SUV, Martinez said. Kevin Starks, 41, was found in the complex and arrested. He was booked on 14 felony and misdemeanor charges, including evading, reckless driving, auto theft and six counts of having prior convictions.

Booking information on Lazaro was not immediately available.