SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. – A wild and “chaotic” vehicle pursuit in California involving a gunman who opened fire at law enforcement personnel multiple times has left four deputies injured, including one critically, officials said.
The incident transpired early Monday near Santa Rosa after deputies were dispatched to “a person brandishing a rifle,” according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, reported Fox News.
“Deputies arrived and found the suspect, who then led them on a pursuit. During the pursuit, the suspect stopped, fired shots at the deputies, and continued the pursuit,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Deputies returned fire and, ultimately, the suspect crashed the vehicle he was driving.”
Continuing, SCSO said, “Four deputies were injured: one with a gunshot wound to the leg, two with injuries to their hands, and one deputy has a head injury.”
Officials said the unnamed deputy who suffered a head injury was “in critical but stable condition.”
The fleeing gunman was struck by gunfire and pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released.
On Monday, Sonoma Deputy Sheriff Rob Dillion told reporters that each of the injured deputies was traveling in a separate patrol unit. As a result, there are “multiple crime scenes” since the “suspect stopped and fired rounds at different locations.”
The pursuit ended after the suspect crashed his vehicle along Stony Point Road near Santa Rosa, The Press Democrat reported. (Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office)
“As you can imagine I’m concerned about my injured deputies and I hope they all make a full and speedy recovery,” Sonoma County Sheriff Eddie Engram said in a video posted on YouTube. “This has been a chaotic incident and we’re still trying to determine exactly what happened.”
The investigating agency handling the fatal deputy-involved shooting is the Santa Rosa Police Department.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said it will release bodycam footage in accordance with state law, Fox reported.
