WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- San Diego bystanders chased and tackled Juan Antonio Gonzaba after he allegedly drove a stolen Tesla through a crowded pedestrian walkway.
- A woman, 25, suffered a fractured spine, broken ribs and a cut requiring 20 stitches, prosecutors said.
- Alex Srour recorded the incident with smart glasses and helped bring Gonzaba’s attempted escape through a parking lot to an end.
- Gonzaba pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail at the San Diego Central Jail.
- Prosecutors said Gonzaba faces up to 24 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
A group of good Samaritans sprang into action after a suspected car thief allegedly drove a stolen Tesla through a crowded pedestrian walkway in San Diego, striking a woman and leaving her seriously injured.
Video captured citizens chasing down and tackling the fleeing suspect.
Juan Antonio Gonzaba, 39, was seen abandoning the Tesla and sprinting through a parking lot following the boardwalk incident. Police told multiple local media outlets that the vehicle had been stolen.
Bystander Alex Srour quickly joined the pursuit, chasing Gonzaba through the parking lot.
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Video shows Srour pushing the suspect while both men were running, causing Gonzaba to fall to the ground and bringing the foot chase to a dramatic end.
Srour recorded the incident using a pair of smart glasses he was wearing at the time.
The footage documented both the dangerous drive through the pedestrian area and the citizens’ pursuit of Gonzaba after he fled the Tesla.
“I hear somebody behind me just scream like, ‘Watch out.’ And then I look and there's like a Tesla just barreling at me going like 70 miles an hour,” Srour told KABC-TV.
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Srour said he was sideswiped as Gonzaba allegedly careened through the pedestrian boardwalk in the Tesla.
The vehicle struck Srour’s bicycle and knocked him away from its path as people scrambled amid the unexpected danger.
“He hit my bike, and it like pushed me really, it like launched me off to the side,” Srour told KABC.
The bystander was nevertheless able to pursue Gonzaba after the suspect left the vehicle and attempted to escape through the parking lot.
“People don't expect a car to come through the boardwalk like it's just not normal,” Srour added.
His account matched the startling video, which showed the Tesla moving through an area intended for pedestrians before the chase unfolded.
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Gonzaba allegedly struck a woman, 25, during the incident.
Prosecutors told KNSD-TV that she was transported to a hospital with a fractured spine, broken ribs and a cut requiring 20 stitches.
Police charged Gonzaba with assault with a deadly weapon, hit-and-run and auto theft in connection with the incident, according to the San Diego Sheriff’s Office.
The allegations place the suspect at the center of both the dangerous boardwalk drive and the attempted escape captured on video.
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Gonzaba pleaded not guilty to all charges during his arraignment, KNSD reported.
The case will proceed with Gonzaba contesting the allegations while prosecutors pursue the charges connected to the stolen Tesla and the injured woman.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that Gonzaba could face up to 24 years in prison if he is convicted on all charges.
He remained in custody following the incident and the filing of the criminal case.
Gonzaba is being held without bail at the San Diego Central Jail, according to KNSD.
Prosecutors noted during the proceedings that he has an extensive criminal history, the outlet reported.
Images from the scene showed the Tesla that Gonzaba allegedly stole and drove through the pedestrian boardwalk.
Additional footage showed Gonzaba on the ground after citizens who witnessed the dangerous episode chased him through the parking lot.
The citizens’ response turned a chaotic scene into a swift apprehension after the suspect allegedly injured a woman and fled.
Srour’s pursuit, recorded through his smart glasses, provided a close view of bystanders refusing to stand aside as Gonzaba ran.
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