Bystanders chase down, tackle Tesla suspect after terrifying boardwalk rampage — and smart glasses caught it all

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A suspected car thief allegedly drove a stolen Tesla onto San Diego’s crowded Pacific Beach boardwalk, seriously injuring a 25-year-old woman.
Bystander Alex Srour chased the fleeing driver and helped hold him until police arrived — while his Meta smart glasses recorded the pursuit.
Suspect Juan Antonio Gonzaba has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.

A suspected car thief picked the wrong boardwalk — and definitely the wrong group of bystanders.

Wild video from San Diego shows the aftermath of a stolen Tesla allegedly barreling down the crowded Pacific Beach boardwalk before the driver abandoned the vehicle and tried to make a run for it.

What followed was captured from an unusual perspective: the smart glasses worn by one of the men chasing him.

San Diego police say officers responded Monday to a report of a stolen Tesla whose owner was tracking the vehicle through its app. Officers located the vehicle and attempted to stop it, but the driver allegedly fled.

Police eventually called off their pursuit because of the increasing danger to the public.

The Tesla kept going.

Authorities say the driver struck an electrical transformer before heading onto the Pacific Beach boardwalk, where pedestrians suddenly found a car racing through an area intended for walkers and cyclists.

“I hear somebody behind me just scream like, ‘Watch out,’” witness Alex Srour recalled. “And then I look and there’s like a Tesla just barreling at me going like 70 miles an hour.”

Srour said the Tesla struck his bicycle and knocked him aside.

A 25-year-old woman wasn’t as fortunate. Prosecutors say she suffered injuries including fractured vertebrae, broken ribs and a serious cut requiring stitches after being struck by the Tesla.

The driver eventually stopped and jumped out. Then the bystanders took over.

Srour and others chased the fleeing man through a nearby parking lot. Srour’s Meta glasses, equipped with a camera, recorded the pursuit from his point of view.

The group caught the man, tackled him and restrained him until police arrived.

Police identified the suspect as 39-year-old Juan Antonio Gonzaba.

And there is now a fresh development.

Gonzaba has been charged with offenses including assault with a deadly weapon, hit-and-run and auto theft. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and is being held without bail. Prosecutors say he could face as much as 24 years behind bars if convicted.

Police also suspect Gonzaba may have been under the influence. A blood test remained pending as of his arraignment.

The remarkable video leaves one other question: How did more people not get hurt?

Footage shows pedestrians scrambling out of the Tesla’s path as it tears through the boardwalk.

“A lot of people dove out of the way very quickly,” San Diego Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Candace Hadley said, “and it really could have been so much worse.”