Driver, Passenger Jailed After Reckless Road Chase

A parolee accused of leading authorities on a 25-minute chase from Escondido to Rancho Bernardo and back before crashing the SUV he was driving was back behind bars today, along with a woman who was along for the ride and allegedly threw a gun out of the vehicle during the chase.

Adam Lynn Heath, 35, was taken into custody about 3:45 p.m. Tuesday on suspicion of evading police, driving while intoxicated, possession of a controlled substance and other drug and weapons violations following the rollover wreck on Interstate 15, near State Route 76 in the Pala area.

Passenger Tatiana Nedeljkovic, 34, also was arrested on suspicion of a slate of drug- and weapons-related offenses.

Both were booked into county jail in Vista. Each also was being held on an arrest warrant from outside San Diego County.

The pursuit began when Heath ran a red light at Nordahl Road and El Norte Parkway, then refused to yield to a deputy and nearly collided with a sheriff's squad car, according to Deputy Michael Duong.

He then fled to the south on I-15, exited onto Via Rancho Parkway and drove through parking areas at Westfield North County Fair shopping center, Duong said. The SUV then crashed through a chain-link fence, was driven up an embankment and re-entered the freeway, this time heading north.

At that point, Nedeljkovic allegedly tossed an unloaded gun out of the vehicle, Duong said.

With a sheriff's helicopter crew tailing the suspects from above and California Highway Patrol officers also involved in the pursuit, Heath steered off the interstate, pulled a U-turn tried to head south on an offramp to the northbound lanes. The SUV veered out of control and rolled over, coming to rest upside-down, Duong said.

Officers extricated Heath and Nedeljkovic and took them into custody. A search of the SUV turned up another gun, drugs and property believed to have been stolen, Duong said.

No injuries were reported.

Heath's bail was set at $205,000, and Nedeljkovic's at $90,000. The suspects were expected to make their first court appearances on Thursday afternoon.

—City News Service