Fontana police shoot armed suspect after he puts officer in headlock

Armed suspect gets shot in the face while putting officer in headlock

A Fontana police officer battled for her life after an armed suspect put her in a headlock during a routine traffic stop in Yucaipa.

The Fontana Police Department released body camera video of two officers pulling over convicted felon Alan Metka at the intersection of Yucaipa Boulevard and 14th Street. The officer and her partner, both gang investigators, were in Yucaipa as part of a joint enforcement operation with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

In the video, one of the officers tells Metka they pulled him over because of a missing front license plate and a window tint violation. The two chatted for a bit, with Metka admitting to the officer that he was arrested for using fireworks a couple of years ago. After hte brief conversation, the initial officer asks Metka to exit his car and stand on the curb while he runs his information.

As the first officer ran Metka's information in the patrol car, another officer stood with the suspect on the side of the road. She asked similar questions and searched Metka until she felt something in his right front pocket. When she asked what it was, Metka said, "My gun," before attacking her and putting her in a headlock. 

The two wrestled as the first officer ran out of his car to help his partner. He fired off one round, striking Metka in the jaw. 

He survived the gunshot and was taken to a local hospital. Prosecutors charged him with assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer.

Neither officer sustained any injuries. Officers recovered the handgun at the scene. 

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