Wild pursuit ends in shooting
Homicide detectives are probing the circumstances behind a deputy-involved shooting that involved a motorist suspected of driving a stolen law enforcement vehicle briefly through the Santa Clarita Valley and into the San Fernando Valley.
The suspect motorist, once stopped, was taken to the hospital with injuries believed to be from flying glass and described as non-life threatening, Deputy Guillermina Saldana, of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release issued Tuesday afternoon.
LASD officials announced late Tuesday that the suspect was not hit by a bullet.
Deputies from County Services Bureau responded to the Olive View Medical Center psychiatric emergency room to check on a mentally ill person armed with a metal pole.
When they arrived at the hospital and a deputy stepped out of his cruiser, he was immediately confronted by the suspect, Saldana wrote in her news release.
As he stepped back from the suspect, the suspect jumped into the deputy’s still running patrol vehicle and sped away.
A wild pursuit ensued, leading deputies through the north end of the San Fernando Valley.
At one point, the pursued vehicle traveled north on Highway 14, from Interstate 5, exiting at Newhall Avenue in Newhall.
It was then seen by television news crews traveling south on Sierra Highway to Balboa and into the San Fernando Valley.
Later in the pursuit, the suspect drove west on Roscoe Boulevard, when he suddenly stopped just east of White Oak Avenue, accelerated backward and collided with a pursuing marked black and white patrol vehicle, Saldana wrote in her news release.
That’s when a deputy fired his service weapon, she wrote.
The suspect was able to proceed forward and turned left onto White Oak Avenue where the pursuit continued southbound from Roscoe Boulevard.
Deputies continued to pursue the suspect southbound on White Oak Avenue until he suddenly pulled to the right and stopped on the west curb line of White Oak Avenue.
The suspect surrendered to deputies at a traffic stop and was treated for injuries suffered as a result of the deputy involved shooting.
The suspect was not struck by a bullet, Saldana wrote in Tuesday’s news release. His injuries, however, appeared to result from flying glass and debris.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a peace officer and evading arrest.
No deputies were injured in the course of the pursuit or shooting.
A four foot metal pole was recovered at the scene of the initial call for service.
The booking photo of the suspect will not be released.