The driver of a mortuary van with a body in it pursued a hit-and-run pickup driver from Lemon Grove into downtown San Diego, where the pickup crashed into other vehicles and knocked down a light pole late Thursday, authorities said.

The wreckage had the intersection of G and 14th streets in East Village closed for about seven hours, until 6:30 a.m. Friday. Three people were taken to a hospital with injuries reported as minor.

G Street is a major artery leading onto eastbound state Route 94, but morning traffic is generally in the opposite direction from westbound Route 94 onto F Street.

The mortuary van driver called 911 shortly after 11 p.m., telling a California Highway Patrol dispatcher that he had followed a hit-and-run suspect off state Route 94 into the eastern end of San Diego.


He reported that the pickup had gone into downtown where it ran a red light at 14th and G and collided with two other vehicles, according to the CHP website.

Video from San Diego News Video showed the crumpled right side of the red pickup with a camper shell. The front of a blue sedan was demolished and a large gray pickup was damaged and ended up across a sidewalk.

A light pole was sheared off, landed across the back of a white Mercedes-Benz and fell to the ground. Workers spent several hours installing a new pole.

Three people were taken in separate ambulances to a hospital. No further information about them was available.


The original hit-and-run involving the red pickup and the mortuary van occurred on Massachusetts Avenue in Lemon Grove, authorities said.


pauline.repard@sduniontribune

Twitter: @pdrepard