Chase Ends When Costa Mesa Motorist Crashes into Wall
A 29-year-old Costa Mesa woman led police on a 70-minute chase through three cities early Saturday before crashing her car into a wall, police said.
The woman, Melodi McKee, was arrested on suspicion of cocaine possession, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and for traffic violations after she crashed in the 600 block of Shalimar Drive in Costa Mesa. She was being held in Newport Beach City Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail.
Newport Beach Police Lt. Paul Henisey said the chase began at 3:48 a.m. when Officer Jun Payoyo saw McKee run a stop sign at La Jolla and Cliff drives in the Newport Heights area.
Payoyo sounded his siren, but the suspect refused to stop, Henisey said.
Two patrol vehicles from Newport Beach Police Department followed the woman’s 1980 Toyota hatchback as it weaved through light traffic on the Costa Mesa and San Diego freeways at speeds up to 75 m.p.h.
The suspect later exited the freeway and continued to speed along city streets in Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach, and sideswiped two parked cars in Costa Mesa, Henisey said.
“She was just driving around in circles,” Henisey said. “She just refused to stop. Fortunately, no one was hurt.”
Henisey said officers seized a bag containing a substance resembling cocaine from the wrecked car.
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