A man was arrested for allegedly trying to run over pedestrians at a Santa Ana middle school on Tuesday.
The suspect was identified as Nicolas Sanudo, 39, by the Santa Ana Police Department.
Officers responded to reports of a vehicle attempting to run over pedestrians at MacArthur Intermediate School around 4:40 p.m.
When authorities arrived, they found Sanudo still inside his vehicle. Officers attempted to pull him over, but he drove away, leading officers on a pursuit.
During the chase, Sanudo drove into a water channel, causing his vehicle to overturn near 3000 South Flower Street, police said.
His vehicle then caught on fire, police said. Sanudo hopped out of his vehicle and continued running away from police.
Officers eventually found Sanudo hiding in a drainage tunnel inside the water channel. He was arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and evading a peace officer.
The motive behind the suspect’s actions is under investigation, authorities said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Santa Ana police at 714-245-8390.