Driver chases away car theft suspect; police find and arrest man hiding in nearby backyard

On Saturday, car theft suspects in National City caught the wrong driver. A few hours later, authorities found a man hiding under a car and arrested him.

The situation began when the male victim was trying to turn into an apartment complex on 11th Street in a Mercedes, according to OnScene.TV. But then a truck arrived and two men, at least one of whom was said to be armed, got out and confronted the man.

The suspects persuaded the victim to get out of the Mercedes and attempted to rob him. However, the victim, who turned out to have a concealed carry permit, pulled out a gun and fired one shot, causing the suspects to flee on foot.

National City Police responded to several 911 calls, including a report that a resident saw a man jump over a fence into a backyard.

At this point, police dogs from National City and the San Diego Police Department, as well as a drone unit from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, joined the search.

The search officers in the back yard were hampered by the amount of objects lying around and could not find anyone despite the drones.

But when the officers entered the backyard, one of them noticed a vehicle covered with tarps and discovered a man lying quietly under the car a few meters away from the officers who had been standing in front of the house.

After the suspect was located, he surrendered.