A man wanted on suspicion of committing armed robberies was fatally shot by Anaheim police following a pursuit and standoff in Santa Ana Tuesday night, Sept. 28, authorities said.
Officers noticed the man driving a stolen vehicle in Santa Ana and two police vehicles attempted to pull him over but he fled, Sgt. Shane Carringer said.
Officers pursued him briefly but backed off because of the suspect’s dangerous driving and used a helicopter to track his movements, Carringer said.
Eventually, the suspect’s vehicle became disabled in a construction area on Santa Ana Boulevard, east of Bristol Street. The suspect refused to leave the vehicle for Santa Ana officers, who had arrived, Carringer said.
After three hours of negotiating with Santa Ana police, Anaheim SWAT and tactical negotiators took over and worked for an additional hour to no avail, Carringer said.
Police then used “chemical agents” just before 10 p.m. to get the suspect to leave the vehicle, Carringer said.
When he did, at least one Anaheim officer shot at the suspect, who died at the scene.
Video provided by OC Hawk shows the vehicle stuck in a trench with the back rear tire unable to move. The suspect, sitting in the driver’s seat, at times wiped the inside of the windshield and smoked a cigarette. The car was boxed in by a pair of SWAT vehicles.
At one point, a SWAT officer drops the chemical agent either inside or near the car, video from OnScene TV shows. Seconds later, the suspect exits the rear driver’s side door and attempts to run off and is shot by at least one SWAT officer.
It wasn’t known what specifically prompted the officer, or officers, to fire their weapons. No Santa Ana officer was involved in the shooting, Carringer said.
Whether any weapons were found near the suspect or in the stolen vehicle was not immediately disclosed.
The suspect had not been identified by police, pending notification of his relatives.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office was investigating the circumstances of the police shooting with assistance from Santa Ana police, because the shooting was in that city, Carringer said.
Anaheim police were also conducting an internal review of the incident.
Source: Orange County Register
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