A CHP officer fired at a suspect in the Logan Heights area Saturday morning following a high-speed pursuit, officials said.
According to SDPD Capt. Terry McManus, at around 9:40 a.m. a CHP officer began pursuing a dark-colored Honda sedan traveling at more than 100 mph on southbound Interstate 805 to Interstate 15.
The car had been stolen from Mira Mesa earlier, police confirmed.
“The guy was driving like a maniac. Then it turned out that the car was reported stolen,” said officer Dan Lasher.
The CHP officer attempted to pull over the driver by activating his lights and siren. However, the suspect -- later identified by police as 22-year-old Matthew Crom -- did not stop.
After several minutes the vehicle exited on Ocean View Boulevard near South 33rd Street and collided with a parked car, police said.
The suspect vehicle didn’t immediately stop following the crash, but instead crossed over the westbound lanes of Ocean View Boulevard before finally coming to a halt, Capt. McManus confirmed.
As the officer approached Crom’s car, he saw the suspect exit the vehicle carrying a shotgun in his hand. The CHP officer ordered Crom to drop his weapon and stop, but he did not comply.
Crom then fled on foot as the officer called for back-up assistance. After a few minutes, officers found Crom running southbound on 33rd Street and directed for him to stop.
Capt. McManus said the suspect then moved toward an officer. The officer felt threatened and drew his duty gun, firing at the suspect.
Crom was struck once in the upper torso near the shoulder and went down. The officer involved in the shooting was not injured.
Officials said the suspect was transported to a hospital with a single non-life threatening wound and is expected to recover.
One witness in the area at the time of the pursuit and shooting told NBC 7 that the suspect’s reckless driving was frightening.
“I was thinking the guy was going to hit me. He was driving really reckless and really fast. [I thought] ‘I’m gonna have to jump out of the way,’” said the witness.
No one else was injured during the incident.
