Driver suspected of DUI arrested in Santee hit-and-run

A 37-year-old man suspected of driving while intoxicated and injuring another motorist in a hit-and-run collision in Santee has been taken into custody, authorities said

Deputies were dispatched shortly before 9:30 p.m. on Sunday to Mission Gorge Road west of Carlton Hills Road to reports of a multi-vehicle collision, sheriff officials said.

The department said witnesses had seen one of the cars traveling at a high rate of speed near Mission Gorge Road and Fanita Drive shortly before the crash.

Officials said that after the crash, the driver of that car took off running toward the San Diego River.

The suspected driver attempted to hide under vehicles near homes and in bushes, but was found following assistance from a patrol helicopter, a police dog unit and tips from the public, authorities said.

The man “appeared to be intoxicated and was taken into sheriff’s custody without incident,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

He was subsequently booked on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence of an intoxicant and hit-and-run offenses.