CORONADO, CA — Coronado police arrested a driver early Saturday after a brief pursuit ended in a crash at 1st Street and Orange Avenue. Officers said the motorist had been speeding in the area of First Street and Alameda Boulevard shortly after 12:30 a.m. when an attempted stop turned into a chase.

The vehicle moved away from the area near North Island Naval Air Station, and police said the officer who tried to stop it could not safely keep pace because of the driver’s speed and reckless driving. The car then struck a center median and traffic signal poles.

After the collision, the driver got out and ran. Police said the suspect was taken into custody a short time later in the 1100 block of Second Street.

Police said the chase was too fast to continue safely

According to the Coronado Police Department, the officer first tried to stop the vehicle near First Street and Alameda Boulevard. The department said the car was moving at such a high speed that the officer could not continue following without creating more danger.

That description matters because the pursuit was short but hazardous. Police said the vehicle’s speed and the way it was being driven made it unsafe for the officer to keep up, which appears to have limited how long the chase lasted before the crash.

The department shared the account in a social media post describing the sequence of events early Saturday morning. The pursuit remained confined to a small area of Coronado before ending at the intersection of 1st Street and Orange Avenue.

Collision at 1st Street and Orange Avenue left the car disabled

Police said the fleeing vehicle hit the center median and traffic signal poles at the busy intersection. The crash brought the pursuit to an abrupt end and left the car disabled at the scene.

The intersection sits in a heavily traveled part of town, making the impact especially notable. Coronado police did not report any other injuries from the crash in the information they released.

Because the vehicle struck both the median and the poles, officers were able to move in quickly once the car stopped. The department said the officer arrived soon after the collision.

Driver ran on foot before officers made the arrest

Once the officer reached the scene, police said the driver was seen leaving the crash site on foot. The suspect did not get far.

Coronado police said the motorist was arrested in the 1100 block of Second Street, only a short distance from where the crash occurred. The quick arrest followed the brief foot chase after the vehicle came to rest.

Police said the driver was booked on suspicion of multiple charges. They did not immediately list those charges in the information they posted.

Helicopter search turned up no other occupants

Out of caution, officers set up a perimeter and searched the area for anyone else who might have been in the car. The San Diego Police Department’s ABLE helicopter helped with that search from the air.

Police said no additional occupants were found. That finding reduced concern that someone else involved in the crash may have escaped on foot.

The helicopter support suggests officers were treating the scene as more than a routine traffic stop. They wanted to be certain no other people were connected to the chase or the collision before clearing the area.

Police are still investigating whether alcohol or drugs played a role

Coronado police said the possible role of drugs or alcohol remained under investigation. Investigators had not determined whether either substance contributed to the crash.

The department also did not say how fast the vehicle was going or identify the driver. Those details were not included in the statement released Saturday.

For now, police have only said the case began as a traffic stop attempt, escalated into a short pursuit, and ended with a crash, a foot chase, and an arrest. The investigation continues as officers sort out the circumstances that led to the collision.