By Blake Alsup
New York Daily News
FREMONT, Calif. — Three Fremont, Calif., police officers were involved in a shootout involving a suspect who “ambushed” one of the cops and was later shot dead, authorities say.
An officer was driving his patrol car on Thursday night when he heard shots fired and his vehicle was struck. A spokesperson for the Fremont Police Department said the suspect was on the side of the road in the bushes and “ambushed the officer.” The man stepped out, pointed a handgun at the officer and struck the marked patrol car’s driver side at least once.
The officer made a U-turn as soon as he realized he was being shot at and got out of the car with his rifle. The suspect and officer exchanged gunfire, police said, and the suspect was shot. He fell to the ground and the officer put out a “shots fired” call on his radio.
Two nearby officers arrived pulled up in front of the suspect, who was lying on the ground waving his arms. Both officers could “plainly see” the gun lying near him. He was given multiple commands to put his hands up and not touch the gun, authorities said, but instead he suddenly raised up off the ground, crawled over to the gun, lifted it and pointed it at the two officers.
Both officers fired at the man and he was hit again. The suspect fell to the ground with his arms and hands beneath his torso, but continued to move and disobeyed orders to stop, cops say.
A K-9 was deployed to help secure the suspect. Officers took him into custody and the handgun was recovered from beneath his torso.
Medical aid was provided, but the man died at the scene.
The entire exchange, from the shots fired to the suspect’s death, lasted 17 minutes, police said.
The suspect and officers’ names were not released early Friday. Fremont Police said the next update will likely be 48 to 72 hours from now. Dashcam and body camera footage is expected to be released with coming updates, a spokesperson said.
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