Jamul

Sheriff’s deputies and helicopter units combed an area of Spring Valley Thursday evening, looking for two teen-age robbery suspects who fired a barrage of bullets at deputies during a high-speed car chase, a Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman said.

Details were sketchy, but the boys apparently robbed the Video Junction, a video rental and sales store in the 13700 block of California 94 in Jamul, Thursday afternoon and then fled in a Volkswagen Rabbit, Sheriff’s Sgt. Julie Sutton said. The vehicle was recovered late Thursday.

Officials said deputies spotted the two youths at 2:45 p.m. at California 94 and Jamacha Road after they had fled the scene.

During the chase by at least two sheriff’s patrol cars through the streets of Casa de Oro and Spring Valley, the youths opened fire on the deputies, who returned fire, Sutton said. There were no reports of injuries.

The suspects, estimated to be 16 to 18 years old, abandoned the car in the parking lot of Faith Chapel, in the 9400 block of Campo Road in Casa de Oro and fled on foot.

“We’ve got them pretty much contained to an area,” Sutton said early Thursday evening. “We’ve got search and rescue out there, and deputies are doing a house-to-house search.”

The search was called off at 7:20 p.m. in the Casa de Oro area, where sheriff’s officials had set up a command post, after they failed to find the youths.