By Josh Cain
Daily News, Los Angeles
CORONA, Calif. — A Corona police officer fired at a man accused of stealing his unmarked police SUV after crashing into it on the 91 Freeway on Saturday, officials said.
The incident began after the officer’s black Ford Explorer was hit near the Van Buren exit from the westbound 91 at around 2 p.m., according to a Corona Police statement.
“The back of the officer’s vehicle was hit, causing him to lose control and spin out multiple times,” officials wrote. “Once the officer pulled to the shoulder of the freeway, the other vehicle’s driver ran towards the officer, armed with a handgun.”
The officer fired multiple times at the man, but missed. Police didn’t say if the man fired back, but no one was injured in the shooting.
The suspect sped off in the officer’s vehicle, then was found near La Sierra and Minnier streets in Riverside. Police there tracked the man to an apartment complex, where he barricaded himself in a unit. Riverside police later arrested him.
Police have not yet identified the suspect.
Because the officer fired at the man, the Riverside County district attorney’s office will handle the investigation into what happened, Corona Police officials said.
The crash and shooting on Saturday led to a lengthy back-up on the 91 that was cleared after a few hours, according to the California Highway Patrol.
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