A motorist who refused to yield for a traffic stop Monday in Santee led San Diego County Sheriff deputies on a meandering, hour-long pursuit that ultimately ended with an abandoned vehicle in Ocean Beach and a suspect taken into custody.

The incident began shortly after 11 a.m. when a deputy attempted to pull over a green Dodge Charger lacking license plates in a parking lot in the 9400 block of Mission Gorge Road in Santee, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. The driver refused to stop.

With deputies in pursuit, the suspect fled over surface streets through Santee, El Cajon, and Lakeside before entering Interstate 8 near Severin Drive in La Mesa. The driver accelerated to high speeds on the freeway, prompting deputies to back off for safety while a sheriff's helicopter tracked the vehicle from the air.

As the driver neared the western end of I-8, the helicopter was forced to pull off due to proximity to San Diego International Airport. Deputies later found the Dodge Charger abandoned at Newport Avenue and Venice Street in Ocean Beach.

Shortly after 1 p.m., San Diego police located a man matching the suspect's description at Robb Athletic Field about a mile from where the car was found. Deputies involved in the pursuit identified the man and took him into custody on suspicion of felony evasion, driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia, and violating parole. Whether the Charger was stolen remained under investigation.