A 16-year-old boy was shot in the right arm during a shooting Saturday morning involving police officers in Carlsbad, authorities said.
Paramedics rushed the teenager to a hospital, where he was expected to survive his injuries, said San Diego police Lt. Jud Campbell, who is part of the investigation due to on county-wide protocol to prevent agencies from investigating their own shootings.
For several hours, police closed southbound and northbound Carlsbad Boulevard at Palomar Airport Road to investigate the shooting. The roads have since been reopened.
He was with an adult and three other teenagers who were in a truck parked in a dirt lot near the intersection of Carlsbad Boulevard and Palomar Airport Road. They were contacted by officers about 12:45 a.m., who noticed there were alcoholic beverages inside the vehicle, Campbell said.
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The 16-year-old was sitting in the front passenger seat and exited the vehicle, before being asked, Campbell said. The teen then allegedly began reaching under the passenger seat, according to the SDPD spokesperson.
"Officers immediately ordered him to stop reaching under the seat. The juvenile pulled a firearm from under the seat and turned in the direction of one of the officers," he said. "At that point, one officer fired one time from his service weapon striking the juvenile."
The boy ran west toward the ocean and either jumped or fell down the side of the cliff. Officers were able to reach him and take him into custody, he said.
"A firearm was located in the general area where the juvenile was apprehended down the cliff side," Campbell said. "Detectives are in the process of recovering that firearm and processing the scene."
The officer who fired his weapon has been employed with department since May 2023. He was assigned to patrol. It was not immediately clear if the officer was placed on leave.
Anyone with any information regarding the incident was asked to call the department's Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580- 8477.
