East Village stabbing leads to pursuit and gunfire in Mexico

A man allegedly stabbed another man in East Village before leading police on a pursuit that ended in a shootout in Mexico on Thursday, San Diego police said.

The incident began when police received a report of a stabbing near 15th and G streets around 11 a.m., said Lt. Travis Easter. Officers arrived and found a man suffering from multiple stab wounds.

He was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, Easter said.

Investigators learned that the alleged assailant had driven away from the scene in a gray Mercedes before officers arrived, Easter said.

The vehicle was located in Encanto on Stork Street near Brooklyn Avenue, according to investigators. Upon seeing the officers, the Mercedes took off, fleeing west on state Route 94 to southbound Interstate 805 and toward the U.S.-Mexico border, police said.

Officers attempted to use spike strips in multiple attempts to stop the vehicle, but were unsuccessful, Easter said. The vehicle fled into Tijuana, ending the pursuit by San Diego police officers.

Once the Mercedes was inside Mexico at the El Chaparral Port of Entry, an alleged shooting occurred between Mexican law enforcement officials and the driver, Easter said. The status of the driver was not immediately known.

The shooting tied up border traffic for hours Thursday afternoon. With wait times for southbound traffic in San Ysidro prolonged, many drivers went to Otay Mesa to also find long lines.

No other information was immediately available Thursday.

Staff reporter Alexandra Mendoza contributed to this report.