East County News Service

July 22, 2023 (El Cajon) – A stolen vehicle suspect barricaded himself in an El Cajon motel Thursday evening and threatened to set the building on fire, prompting evacuation of nearby rooms, says Lieutenant Darrin Forster with El Cajon Police Department. 

The incident began at 6:38 p.m., when  El Cajon Police received information that the GPS system on a vehicle reported stolen showed it was parked at the Best Inn & Suites at 1274 Oakdale Avenue. Officers found the vehicle in the parking lot unoccupied. The driver of the stolen car was observed on surveillance video entering a motel room, which paid for by the San Diego County Homeless Voucher Program administered through EQUUS.