Police officer killed, another badly wounded in San Diego gun battle
A SAN Diego police officer has been killed and another wounded in a shoot-out following a latenight traffic stop.
A suspect was wounded and taken into custody shortly afterwards, and hours later police surrounded a home as they searched for a man described as a possible accomplice.
Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman identified the dead officer as Jonathan DeGuzman, a 16-year veteran of the force who was married with two children.
He suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Officer Wade Irwin, 32, underwent surgery after being shot and was expected to survive, Ms Zimmerman said. His wife was at the hospital during surgery.
Both officers were wearing bulletproof vests and body cameras, and quickly called for assistance from other officers, Ms Zimmerman said.
“It happened extremely quickly, very quickly,” she added.
“From the information that was put out that a stop was being made to that the officers called for emergency cover to when the other officers arrived on scene, we’re talking very, very quickly, Seconds to a minute or so. Very quickly.”
The male suspect was captured in a nearby ravine and was being treated at a hospital yesterday. Police did not identify him but said he was in a critical condition with a gunshot wound.
Residents were ordered to stay in their homes throughout the night as San Diego police and officers from other law enforcement agencies scoured ravines and streets for other possible suspects. A helicopter hovered over the neighbourhood.
Around nine hours after the shoot-out, heavily armed police officers surrounded a house about half a mile away, one of them using a megaphone to urge a man to surrender. Authorities also detonated several devices at the scene that made deafening booms.