A report of a stolen vehicle on Highway 14, just north of Interstate 5, led to a deputy-involved shootout Friday night in Palmdale, sheriff’s officials said.
No officer was injured in the shooting and one suspect was hospitalized in the incident, which began after an alleged carjacking in the city of South Gate earlier Friday afternoon.
The vehicle had tracking software, according to law enforcement officials, and the California Highway Patrol was able to locate the stolen vehicle near the junction of the northbound lanes of Highway 14 and I-5 in Newhall.
“The California Highway Patrol officers followed the vehicle into the Agua Dulce area and requested the assistance of the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station,” said a sheriff’s news release about the incident. “A pursuit was initiated by the California Highway Patrol, which continued along the 14 Freeway at high rates of speed.”
After exiting the freeway at Palmdale Boulevard, and reaching 20th Street East, all three suspects, reportedly armed, exited the vehicle and two of them began firing upon deputies at 9:19 p.m.
One suspect, armed with a shotgun, surrendered immediately, according to sheriff’s officials.
“The other two suspects, armed with handguns, engaged both deputies and (CHP) officers, firing multiple rounds at them,” read a sheriff’s statement about the incident. “At that time, an officer-involved shooting occurred, during which one of the suspects was struck several times.”
The wounded suspect was taken to a local area hospital where he was being treated Saturday for his injuries.
No officers were injured as a result of the shooting, and a shotgun and two handguns were recovered from the scene.
A number of law enforcement agencies are investigating the shooting, including the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau and Internal Affairs Bureau.
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department immediately notifies the office of the inspector general who sends a representative to the incident scene and provides independent oversight throughout the investigative process,” read the statement about the shooting. “Once concluded, a preliminary review is conducted by the Critical Incident Review Panel to determine whether any immediate actions are warranted. Every aspect of the shooting is reviewed by the Sheriff’s Executive Force Review Committee.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is also scheduled to conduct an interview.
This is the second deputy-involved shooting in the Antelope Valley this week in which a suspect was shot. The previous one occurred Thursday morning in Lancaster, and a 60-year-old man was shot and killed by deputies after reportedly reaching for a deputy’s gun, sheriff’s officials said.
Anyone with information about the Friday evening incident can contact the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.
