San Leandro cop fatally shoots suspect

A San Leandro police officer fatally shot a man armed with an “assaultstyle rifle” after pursuing a stolen vehicle into Oakland late Wednesday night, authorities said.

At about 11 p.m., police received reports about a possibly stolen black Acura that had evaded Alameda County sheriff’s deputies. The driver was believed to be armed with a gun, according to San Leandro police.

An officer spotted the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop at the intersection of East 14th and Durant streets, but the Acura failed to yield, prompting a pursuit over several blocks, police said. The chase ended in the 10400 block of Pearmain Street, where the Acura crashed into the rear of an unoccupied parked vehicle.

The driver emerged with a rifle at the same time a K9 officer exited his vehicle with an unleashed canine, police said. The officer fired his weapon and a pursuit ensued on foot.

Officials did not immediately provide details about the suspect’s gun. In California, firearms with certain characteristics are banned as assault weapons.

The man ran north on Pearmain Street and east on Apple Street while the officer chased on foot with the canine, police said. As he crossed the front yard of a residence on Pippin Street, the officer shot him in the upper torso and the man fell.

Additional officers arrived on the scene and provided first aid, but the man, who has not been identified, died from his injuries, police said.

No officers were injured in the incident.

Saul Gutierrez, who lives on the corner of Pearmain Street, said he woke up at 11 p.m. to the sound of three gunshots. He checked to see if his wife and daughters were safe, and then saw three or four police officers running by his window as shots continued to fire.

After the crash, the man

began to run on Apple Street as officers continued to fire, Gutierrez said. One shot had been fired through the window of a vehicle across the street from Gutierrez’s house, shattering the car’s left rear window.

“I’ve lived here 12 years, and I’ve never seen anything so crazy before,” Gutierrez said. “I’ve seen cars burning, but people getting shot? Never.”

Gutierrez said his sister lives on Pippin Street, which runs parallel to Pearmain Street, and she saw a man lying in a driveway as paramedics arrived at the scene.

Guadalupe Najera, 20, lives across the street from Gutierrez. He said he also woke up around 11 p.m. to the sound of gunfire: first far away, then closer. Then he heard his car alarm go off.

Najera said he looked out his window onto Apple Street and saw a man had fallen on the other side of a low fence outside a home. The officers ran toward the man and eventually began pushing on his chest and attempting to resuscitate him, Najera said.

Paramedics arrived about 10 minutes later and took the man’s body away, Najera said.

The Oakland Police Department will lead the investigation of the shooting, and the Alameda County district attorney’s office will conduct an independent investigation, police said.

The officer involved in the shooting was placed on administrative leave.

During the incident, San Leandro police lost the unleashed canine, Kane, for eight hours. They found the dog unharmed nearly 2 miles away in San Leandro.