By Khalida Sarwari
After four hours, authorities have called off a search for a man who led California Highway Patrol officers on a chase on state Highway 85 earlier this afternoon and then crashed his car in San Jose.
The search began after 12:15 p.m. when CHP officers attempted to pull over a car they said was speeding on Highway 85 near Cottle Road, CHP Officer Steve Griefer said.
The man exited the freeway and drove onto city streets, at which point the CHP ended the pursuit so as not to jeopardize the safety of other motorists, Griefer said.
The car crashed into another car a short time later on an overcrossing near the highway and then the driver took off on foot.
San Jose police officers set up a perimeter around 12:20 p.m. in the area of Beswick Drive between Cottle and Poughkeepsie roads, San Jose police Officer Jose Garcia said.
Garcia said after searching apartment and townhouse complexes in the area for four hours, officers decided to end the search around 4:30 p.m.
He said the CHP is continuing to investigate the case.
Westbound Beswick Drive from Cottle Road, which was closed for the duration of the investigation, and eastbound Poughkeepsie Road, closed since about 3:30 p.m., have been reopened.
