2 Suspects Shot, 1 Fatally, By Undercover CHP Officers In Fullerton

FULLERTON (CBSLA.com) — One teenage suspect was killed and a second injured after being shot by California Highway Patrol officers in Fullerton, police said Monday.

The shooting happened at about 10:50 p.m. Sunday at Pritchard and Commonwealth avenues, near the Fullerton Municipal Airport, CHP Officer Alex Rubio said.

Prior to the shooting, two CHP officers in an undercover operation were following a red pick-up truck from Los Angeles County into Fullerton, where they tried to make a traffic stop, Fullerton police spokeswoman Kathryn Hamel said. The truck drove onto Prichard, a cul-de-sac, then turned around and drove directly at toward the officers, she said.

The officers tried to stop the driver, but had to get out of their car and opened fire, Hamel said. The driver, a 19-year-old man, died at the scene.

The 18-year-old passenger was taken to a hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound to the arm. He was taken to a hospital for treatment, then released pending further investigation, Hamel said.

Police say this was never a chase, but there was no confirmation if the suspects were armed. Hamel said she did not know why the officers were tracking the two young men or whether the suspects knew whether the CHP officers were law enforcement officers when they tried to make the traffic stop on the car.

Anyone with information about the shooting can call Fullerton police at (714) 738-6800.