Driver of mortuary van with body inside chases hit-and-run run pickup
The driver of a mortuary van with a body inside pursued a hit-and-run pickup driver about eight miles into downtown San Diego, where the pickup crashed into other vehicles and knocked down a light pole, authorities said Friday.
The driver of the van called the California Highway Patrol shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday, telling a dispatcher that his vehicle had been struck by a hit-and-run driver in Lemon Grove and that he was pursuing the suspect into the eastern end of San Diego.
He reported that the driver of the pickup had traveled into downtown, where he ran a red light at 14th and G streets and struck two other vehicles, the CHP said.
San Diego News Video showed the crumpled right side of the red pickup with a camper shell. The front of a blue sedan was demolished, and a large gray pickup that ended up across a sidewalk also was damaged.
A light pole was sheared off in the crash, and landed across the back of a white Mercedes-Benz before falling to the ground. Workers spent several hours installing a new fixture.
The incident forced the closure 14th and G streets for about seven hours, until 6:30 a.m. Friday, authorities said.
Three people were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, authorities said.
Repard writes for the San Diego-Union Tribune.
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