Gang members hurt when pursuit ends in crash

Deputies chased a pickup truck-load of gang members early Saturday from the scene of a stabbing and baseball bat beating in Encinitas,

and the driver crashed in Torrey Pines, injuring all eight occupants.

The assault in Encinitas occurred about 11:30 p.m. Friday and the

pursuit crash occurred about 1:05 a.m., police and sheriff’s watch commander ssaid.

The stabbed and beaten victim was taken to a trauma center with serious injuries, said San Diego County sheriff’s Lt. Mike Munsey.

The pickup driver lost control at Carmel Valley Road and McGonigle Road during the pursuit, where the truck crashed into a tree and a block wall, said San Diego police Officer David Strafford.

Two people in the back of the pickup were ejected, Munsey said. All

eight people who were in the pickup when it crashed were hospitalized, Munsey said.

They were all male gang members, Munsey said. It was not clear whether

any of them were adults, Munsey said.

Investigations of the stabbing-beating, the pursuit and the crash were

under way Saturday.