Chase From Redondo Beach To San Pedro Ends With Officer-Involved Shooting
SAN PEDRO (CBSLA.com) – A police pursuit from Redondo Beach to San Pedro ended Saturday evening with an officer-involved shooting.
KCAL9's Stacey Butler reported from the scene where police even hours later were trying to piece together what happened. And how it all started.
Police shot him through the back of his rear windshield.
"The kids were coming out here to set up the decorations and stuff and it was like 'Turn around, get back in the house.'" said neighbor Deanna Chavez.
Neighbors told Butler they first heard the screeching of tires and then gunshots and then police demanding the driver get out of his truck.
"The cops were running here and there, literally cocking their shotguns, so I'm assuming he had some kind of a weapon," Irma Brigham said.
It was unclear if the suspect -- in his late 30s -- had a weapon on him or in the truck.
Redondo Beach began chasing the man around 5:30 p.m. when he allegedly sped off during a traffic stop. Officers said they had reason to believe he had committed a serious crime.
"They were trying to coerce him to come outside but he wasn't. But then I saw him come out. I heard something drop. I'm assuming, it kinda sounded like a gun. They basically got him, took him down, and sat him down on the curb right there," said Brigham.
The suspected -- the vehicle's sole occupant -- was transported to a nearby hospital. The extent of his injuries remains unclear.
The incident was scary for some, but didn't rattle everyone.
"Probably just some younger people out of control and that's what we have the police for, they got him under control," said neighbor Rod Barksdale.