STOLEN-CAR SUSPECT SHOT, KILLED AFTER HE KNOCKS DOWN DEPUTY

A county sheriff ’s deputy shot and killed a man behind the wheel of a suspected stolen car in the parking lot of an Otay Mesa strip mall Saturday morning, according to San Diego police.

Plainclothes deputies called in the report of a stolen vehicle about 9:20 a.m. at Roll Drive south of Siempre Viva Road, just north of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, asking uniformed deputies to respond, San Diego police homicide Capt. Rich Freedman told Onscene TV and other reporters at the scene.

The uniformed deputies then approached the car and asked the occupants to get out, but the driver did not comply, Freedman said. The driver backed the car out of the parking stall, crashed into several other vehicles in the lot and knocked over a deputy, the captain said.

That prompted another deputy to fire at the car, Freedman said. The car continued to move, crashing into more vehicles before coming to a stop.

A deputy pulled out the driver, saw he’d been shot and began first aid, Freedman said.

The driver died at the scene. His name and age were not released.

The injured deputy was seeking treatment. An undercover sheriff’s vehicle was among those struck by the stolen car, Freedman said.

Two passengers in the stolen car, a man and a woman, were detained for questioning. Freedman said it was unclear at this point in the investigation if they would be arrested.

The shooting will be investigated by San Diego police homicide detectives because it occurred in city limits.

Police said there were several witnesses to the incident, and detectives were seeking surveillance camera footage in the area. They would also be looking at the body-worn camera of the deputy who opened fire. The deputy’s name and years of service were not released.