EAST COUNTY — A man is facing several felony charges after he led deputies on a chase that ended when a sheriff’s department helicopter located him hiding in a tree, authorities said.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said a deputy tried to pull over Charles Largo, 42, on Saturday as he was driving along state Route 94 in Campo. Largo initially got off the highway and pulled into a gas station but then took off heading east on SR-94, the department said.
Deputies said Largo was going almost 90 mph in a 55 mph zone and kept driving on the wrong side of the road. He did so even after hitting a spike strip at La Posta Road and Highway 94, according to the department.
The tires came off the car and it eventually rolled to a stop. That’s when deputies said Largo ran out of the car into a field. The department’s helicopter flew overhead and found Largo hiding in a tree. He was arrested without incident.
Deputies found a reconfigured AR-15 with no serial number and a high-capacity magazine in Largo’s car, authorities said. Largo was booked into the Central Jail on suspicion of felony evading, a felon in possession of a firearm and committing a felony while on bail.