San Diego

Naval Medical Center Guard Aims for Dog, Shoots Man During Altercation at Gate

A man was shot by security officers at Naval Medical Center San Diego Monday night after he attempted to drive through the front gate without stopping, officials for the base said. 

The driver, who was a civilian and not with the U.S. Navy, approached the medical centers's Florida Drive gate and ignored security guard's officers to stop, according to a Naval Medical Center spokesperson. 

The guards guards deployed security barriers to prevent the driver from proceeding, at which point the driver turned around, stopped his vehicle, got out of the car and began yelling at an officer, officials said. 

During the confrontation, a dog jumped out of the vehicle and ran towards the officers, which is when one officer opened-fire. 

The guard missed the dog but the bullet hit the man's ankle, the spokesperson said. The suspect was transported to UC San Diego Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

There were no injuries to the dog, which was taken into the custody of San Diego animal control. 

Naval Medical Center San Diego is located off Florida Drive in Balboa Park. Police tape and patrol cars were seen blocking the main entrance on Florida Drive at around 10:30 p.m.

The Park Avenue entrance was not closed and the incident did not impact hospital operations, the spokesperson said. The Florida Drive entrance was re-opened overnight. 

An investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

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