A suspect is dead and two witnesses injured after a short pursuit led to a deputy-involved shooting on the Barona Indian Reservation, San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) Public Information Officer Ryan Keim said.
Deputies first responded to a call of a suspect driving recklessly on the reservation shortly after 1:30 p.m. Wednesday near Wildcat Canyon Road, Keim said. As they were responding to the call, they received another report that the suspect tried to ram into a tribal security officer.
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When deputies arrived on scene, they contacted the suspect -- in a white truck -- and pursued him for a short period of time, Keim said, citing information deputies gathered during their preliminary investigation.
At one point, the suspect exited his car near Wildcat Canyon Road and Ketuull Uunya Way, just north east of the Barona Resort and Casino, according to Keim.
The suspect "was extremely uncooperative with officers", Keim said.
In an attempt to prevent the suspect from re-entering his car, deputies used multiple less lethal bean bag rounds, Keim added.
However, the suspect got back into his car and continued to drive.
That's when the deputy-involved shooting occurred.
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"We had two deputies discharge their firearms," Keim said. "After that occurred, the suspect vehicle struck a deputy’s vehicle and another vehicle.”
Both deputies, who have not been identified, fired on the suspect.
Two people in the other car were injured, Keim said. They were taken to a hospital a short time later. The extent of their injuries is unclear.
The suspect was pronounced dead on scene.
According to Keim, it appears the deputies involved are okay.
A witness to the shooting described the chaotic scene when he heard gunshots ring out. James Rodriguez told NBC 7 he was just feet away, his black Camaro seen in the middle of the crime scene.
"I heard one gunshot, then the vehicle, they were chasing, came flying out from the trees, hit a Sheriff's car, on the way out," said Rodriguez. "They still proceeded to keep shooting at him. Coming straight towards me, but there was a car in front of me, so the car in front of me took the impact from the vehicle, and I went to the left so it wouldn't hit me."
Witnesses said two women in their 70's live in the neighborhood and were injured in the incident.
One was standing outside the car when the pick-up crashed into them and the impact threw her to the ground.
#BREAKING: Deputy Involved Shooting in #Barona. @SDSheriff is on scene. We're gathing more information now, stay with #NBC7. pic.twitter.com/QEl7kcWNrG
— Ashley Matthews (@ashleyNBC7) May 10, 2017
Though there are homes lining the street where this happened, the neighborhood near the reservation is rural, with properties spread out.
“This is a very complex investigation," Keim said. "We need to talk to witnesses, talk to deputies, and find out exactly what happened and that’s what we’re doing.”
