Career Criminal’s Tesla Rampage on San Diego Boardwalk Ends in Chaotic Court

On a sunny Monday afternoon in La Jolla, a black Tesla roared away from a traffic stop, its driver—Juan Antonio Gonzaba, 39—never looking back. Within minutes the stolen car was barreling down the Pacific Beach boardwalk, forcing startled pedestrians to dive for cover.

The chaos reached a painful climax when the vehicle struck a 25‑year‑old woman, shattering two right ribs, breaking two vertebrae and lacerating her abdomen. Emergency crews rushed her to the hospital, where she remained under care as the story unfolded.

Witnesses say the Tesla slammed into a roadside transformer before veering onto the crowded boardwalk. Some onlookers chased the fleeing driver, one of them—Alex Srour—recording the whole ordeal with a pair of Meta smart glasses. Srour sprinted after Gonzaba, but the police eventually caught up and forced the suspect to abandon the car.

What makes this episode more than a reckless joyride is Gonzaba’s own background. Court documents reveal an “extensive criminal history” that includes assault, battery, burglary and grand‑theft charges. In other words, this wasn’t a one‑off lapse; it was another chapter in a pattern of violent behavior.

When Gonzaba finally appeared in court on Wednesday, the drama didn’t end. He paced, shouted, and even pounded his head against a glass wall, prompting the judge to repeatedly remind him to keep quiet. Police say a blood test was taken, but results are still pending, leaving open the question of whether drugs or alcohol fueled his reckless drive.

If convicted on all counts, Gonzaba could spend up to 24 years and eight months behind bars. For the woman he injured, the physical scars may linger, but the memory of that terrifying boardwalk rush will likely stay with the entire community for a long time.