SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — A sheriff’s deputy in a helicopter shot at a suspected home invasion robber who led authorities on a 100-mph chase Friday, and the suspect died on a Southern California freeway, authorities said.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the man had been wounded by gunfire or died from other injuries, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Deon Filer said.
Deputies began pursuing the robbery suspect from the Fontana area east of Los Angeles around midday, authorities said.
The gray Chevrolet Tahoe reached speeds of 100 mph as it raced along streets and traveled southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 215 into San Bernardino, sideswiping a car, authorities said.
The wrong-way driving prompted a deputy to open fire on the SUV from a helicopter.
Department policy permits deputies to fire shots from a helicopter and while rare, it has happened before, although not in recent years, Filer said.
“We actually train, the pilots train, to shoot from helicopters,” Filer said.
“It’s a public-safety issue,” Deputy Olivia Bozek said. “Once he starts going the wrong way, obviously he doesn’t care about passengers or pedestrians or other cars that are around.”
TV reports showed at least five gunshots in the SUV’s hood.
The driver then bailed out of the vehicle, which kept rolling and crashed head-on into a Dodge Durango. Three people in that SUV were injured and taken to hospitals, officials said.
One was listed in critical condition and two were in fair condition, KABC-TV reported.
The fleeing driver, meanwhile, continued along the freeway until he collapsed a short distance away near an overpass. He died at the scene.
The incident closed the northbound lanes for hours, backing up traffic for miles. The lanes reopened Saturday morning.
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This story has been corrected to report that the vehicle was a Chevrolet Tahoe, not a Yukon.
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Cops get their justice first.
Missiles We need missiles I tell ya.
“…obviously he doesn’t care about passengers or pedestrians or other cars that are around.” The suspected robber or the deputy?
Really sad, if the driver didn’t conduct a home invasion robbery and was just trying to escape being “accidentally” killed by the police. Because nothing smells like a home invasion like an SUV.
I do agree that the guy was a menace to society and provoked this reaction…but, shooting out the window/door of a helicopter is just plain stupid. Anyone who is at all familiar with small aircraft will know that the heat thermals would cause the craft to be constantly moving around. That sounds to me like it is a Hell of a safety risk to bystanders, as much a risk as this moron going the wrong way on an LA freeway. Seems to me that there HAD to be a better way to shut this guy down than shooting from a low flying aircraft.
Sarah Palin: “I invented that, you know.”