Car that ran San Onofre border checkpoint abandoned, rolls onto house

SAN ONOFRE (CNS) – A 22-year-old driver of a stolen Lexus led Border Patrol agents from the checkpoint near San Onofre into Orange County, where he bailed, leaving the sedan to roll down a hill and partially onto the roof of a home, authorities said Friday.

The driver of the 1999 Lexus appeared to initially comply with officers who directed him into an inspection area at the Interstate 5 checkpoint around 1 p.m. Wednesday, but instead sped away, according to a Border Patrol statement.

Agents chased the driver on and off of the northbound freeway, and at some point he sideswiped two parked vehicles, the statement said.

He attempted to run off as agents cornered the car in a cul-de-sac in San Clemente, but was later arrested, authorities said. The abandoned sedan rolled about 50 yards downhill and came to a rest with the front perched over the sidewalk and the back on the roof of an adjacent home.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of high-speed flight from a checkpoint, according to the statement. He was later turned over to San Diego police and is expected to face additional charges of carjacking and evading a peace officer, authorities said.