A scuffle between a hostile suspect and Riverside police officers near downtown led to gunfire and one of the lawmen suffering a non-life-threatening injury before taking the man into custody, authorities said Thursday.
The possible officer-involved shooting occurred shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday in the area of University and Kansas avenues, according to the Riverside Police Department.
Agency spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback told City News Service that a patrol unit was sent to the location following reports of a man behaving erratically, in what witnesses described as acts of vandalism on parked cars.
When the two officers attempted to make contact with the suspect, a struggle ensued, according to Railsback.
“A gun did discharge,” he said. “An officer was struck by shrapnel. We’re still trying to sort out how it happened.”
Railsback said he could not elaborate until the investigation had run its course. However, he confirmed one of the officers was taken to Riverside Community Hospital for treatment of the non-life-threatening wound, but the lawman has since been released and is now in recovery.
The suspect, whose identity was being withheld, was arrested moments after the shot rang out. He was booked into the Robert Presley Jail on suspicion of unspecified offenses. He wasn’t hurt, nor were any bystanders.
Multiple police units converged on the area within minutes of the gunfire. The heavy police presence and a complete closure of University between Kansas and Ottawa avenues lasted until well after midnight Thursday.