SAN DIEGO—An auto-theft suspect opened fire on San Diego police early Dec. 12 in a Mountain View-area neighborhood, wounding an officer, then holing up in a nearby apartment—prompting a nine-hour SWAT standoff that ended in his arrest.
The events that led to the shooting, which left the officer with apparently non-life-threatening injuries, began about 12:30 a.m., when patrol personnel tried to pull over the driver of a stolen Toyota in the area of Main and Thor streets in Barrio Logan, according to the San Diego Police Department.
The suspect refused to yield, leading officers on a pursuit over various surface streets and freeways.
After about an hour, the driver pulled over in the area of Newton Avenue and South 43rd Street, jumped out of the car, and ran off, police said. During an ensuing foot chase, the man opened fire on pursuing officers, leaving one of them with several gunshot wounds.
Officers were not able to return fire, according to police.
The injured patrolman was admitted to Scripps Mercy Hospital, where he underwent surgery and was listed in stable condition. His name was not released.
A physician told police the officer’s bulletproof vest likely saved his life, police department Chief David Nisleit said during a mid-afternoon briefing at downtown police headquarters.
Following the shooting, the suspect ran into a residence in the area and refused orders to exit and surrender, prompting a standoff that continued into the late morning.
The stalemate ended about 10:30 a.m., when SWAT officers entered the apartment, finding the suspect unconscious from an apparent drug overdose. Police were able to revive him with a treatment of naloxone, a medication that can reverse the life-threatening effects of excessive intake of opioids.
Police declined to immediately release the suspect’s identity.
During the news conference, Nisleit said he would seek to ensure that the suspect would “be held fully accountable” for the firearm assault on the officer, whom the chief described as a dedicated lawman.
“This is a young man ... [who] was trying to recover someone’s stolen car, and someone tried to kill him,” Nisleit said.
