A California Highway Patrol officer was shot Friday morning during a traffic stop on the San Bernardino (10) Freeway in West Covina and the suspect who allegedly shot him was taken into custody in Fontana after a freeway chase, the CHP reported.
The officer was shot on the westbound 10 Freeway at the Sunset Avenue offramp in West Covina about 1:30 a.m., said CHP Officer Tony Polizzi.
“Our officer returned fire but it was unknown whether the suspect was hit,” Polizzi said.
But the suspect was later determined to have been wounded by gunfire, according to the CHP, although just where that occurred as not immediately clear.
The suspect was hospitalized, and his vital signs were stable, the CHP reported.
The Sunset offramp was shut down and a SigAlert declared by the CHP at 4:16 a.m.
A vehicle pursuit followed the shooting, with West Covina police and CHP officers chasing the suspect’s car heading east on the 10 Freeway.
In the Cadillac Escalade SUV being chased were a man and a woman, according to Polizzi. The officers lost sight of the SUV, which was later located about 2:30 a.m. at Citrus Avenue and Arrow, according to authorities.
The male suspect, whose name was not immediately released, was then taken down by a K-9 unit near Citrus Avenue in Fontana and taken into custody by CHP officers.
A search was underway for a woman who was in the car with the suspect, according to the CHP. A gun was recovered at the arrest scene.
The wounded officer, a man, was taken to LAC+USC Medical Center and was reported in stable condition, according to Polizzi. Neither his name nor details about his service were immediately released.
The incident is under investigation by the CHP.
.—City News Service