Pursuit Suspect Shot By Police After Allegedly Trying To Run Over Crisis Negotiator
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA) — A man who allegedly tried to run over a crisis negotiator was shot Thursday by Riverside police.
According to police, the unidentified man allegedly stole a Honda Accord at about 9:30 a.m. from outside a home near Central and Magnolia avenues, prompting the owner of the vehicle to get into another car and follow the man.
The victim then called police who spotted the vehicle and attempted to pull it over. The driver sped away from the patrol officers and allegedly ran several red lights, according to police.
The 25-minute pursuit ended near the intersection of Van Buren Boulevard and Primrose Drive after an officer performed a successful PIT maneuver, bringing the car to a stop, the department said, but the driver refused to get out of the vehicle.
"Running the red lights in a dangerous fashion," said officer Ryan Railsback of the Riverside Police Department. "Two different times our officers attempted to stop him using spike strips."
Over the next 45 minutes, businesses in the immediate area were locked down and all traffic was detoured away from the intersection while SWAT members surrounded the vehicle and a crisis negotiator attempted to get the man to surrender, police said.
Officers opened fire when the driver allegedly got the car to restart and drove straight toward a tree where the negotiator was standing.
The man, described as a white man in his 20s, suffered a non-life-threatening wound and was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
There were no other injuries reported.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)