An American man was arrested after crashing into more than a dozen vehicles, running over five people and sending food carts careening out of control Monday near the busiest land border crossing between the US and Mexico, Mexican police said.

The Tijuana secretary of public security said in a Facebook post that the man, who has not been identified, allegedly threatened a Mexican citizen with a knife on a roadway near the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

When police arrived, the man sped away in a black Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck toward the border crossing.

As the man fled, police said, he rammed 17 other vehicles, knocked over 14 vendor carts and ran over five people.

A witness to the chaotic incident told KGTV he heard a “boom, boom, boom” when he saw the black truck approaching him. After it struck three vehicles and stopped, the witness told KGTV, witnesses surrounded the vehicle and popped the tires.

“His wife turned to him and said, ‘Go, go, go,’” the witness said.

The driver then took off again, hitting food vendors in his path.

The witness told KGTV he pulled over to help a woman who was hurt after being struck by a taco cart sent careening out of control by the truck but ended up getting injured himself after slipping in some salsa.

The driver eventually was arrested in Mexico, according to police, who did not disclose the conditions of those struck by the vehicle.

US Customs and Border Protection officials told FOX5 the border was not closed because of the incident.