Man Suspected of Driving Stolen Car Killed After Trying to Evade Officers in Otay Mesa, Officer Injured

A man suspected of driving a stolen car was shot and killed Saturday in Otay Mesa after trying to evade authorities at a strip mall while knocking over several officers in the process, SDPD said.

The shooting was reported just before 9:30 a.m. on the 2400 block of Roll Drive near the U.S.-Mexico border. Officials said they spotted a white SUV that was reported stolen parked at the strip mall.

Once officers arrived at the scene, officers attempted to contact the driver of the car, giving him commands to exit the vehicle. Deputies were able to remove two passengers from the car, but the driver did not comply with deputies’ orders and instead, the man attempted to drive away and struck two deputies, knocking them to the ground, according to SDPD.

This prompted one of the deputies to fire his service weapon, SDPD said. The vehicle continued to drive away and struck two sheriff’s vehicles before coming to a stop. 

The man shot was taken out of the car and officers rendered aid to him but he was later pronounced dead.

The two passengers were not injured and are being questioned, police said.

"I heard gunshots and it sounded a lot of gunshots. It sounded like there was a shootout happening. I thought it was a driveby," said Derian Cruz, a witness. "Everyone inside the 7-Eleven was afraid."

The officer injured is seeking treatment and no update was given on their condition.

#BREAKING Investigation underway — it appears one person is dead in #OtayMesa. Per SDPD, a deputy has minor injuries after authorities tried contacting a person inside a stolen car. A “shots fired” call went out a little after 9am.

Details live 3/4p @nbcsandiego pic.twitter.com/l0Gg1EqrbK

— Madison Weil (@MadisonAWeil) February 19, 2022

The driver has been identified, but his name is not being released at this time. He is described as a 27-year-old man and a resident of San Diego.

The name of the deputy involved in the shooting is not being released at this time. But police say he is a 16 year veteran of the San Diego Sheriff’s Department.

This incident is under investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

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