CARLSBAD–A suspected DUI driver and her passengers were arrested Thursday after she led a Carlsbad police officer on a vehicle pursuit that ended in Oceanside, authorities said.
At approximately 7:30 a.m., Carlsbad police officers attempted to stop the driver of a rented, 2016 Nissan Sentra at Poinsettia Lane near Interstate 5 for driving in the median. The driver failed to yield and the officer pursued the driver.
The driver fled onto northbound Interstate 5. She exited the freeway at Oceanside Boulevard and the Oceanside Police Department was notified about the pursuit.
The driver traveled westbound on Oceanside Boulevard and proceeded north on Coast Highway.
The driver sideswiped an occupied car on Coast Highway at Mission Avenue and collided with a building located at the northwest corner of the intersection.
Officers detained the driver and two additional vehicle occupants.
After an initial investigation, officers arrested the driver of the vehicle, 26-year-old Sonya Labastida of San Diego, for driving under the influence of drugs, for being in possession of stolen property found inside the vehicle and for failing to yield to the officer. Labastida was transported to a local hospital for a complaint of pain.
The two additional occupants, 30 and 41-year-old females, were detained and taken to the police station.
The 23-year-old female driver of the sideswiped vehicle was not injured and no additional injuries occurred.
The investigation of the incident and the associated crimes is ongoing.
