SAN GABRIEL — A man shot and wounded by El Monte police at the end of a pursuit in San Gabriel was backing a stolen delivery truck toward officers when they opened fire, authorities said Saturday.
The name of the suspect wounded in Friday’s 4:40 a.m. shooting on Leslie Drive, just west of San Marino Avenue in San San Gabriel, was not released by investigators. A second suspect not identified by authorities was also arrested in connection with the alleged truck theft.
Prior to the officer-involved shooting, officials said the two suspects stole a large box truck that was making a delivery to a 7-Eleven store in the 12100 block of Ramona Boulevard in El Monte, officials said.
El Monte police spotted the truck on the 10 Freeway and began a pursuit when it failed to pull over, Deputy Peter Gomez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau said in a written statement. The truck exited the freeway at Temple City Boulevard and crashed into several parked cars as the chase continued through Rosemead.
The truck briefly came to a stop on Guess Street, at which point one of the suspects got out and surrendered to police, Gomez said. But the other suspect then continued driving, leading officers into San Gabriel.
“When the suspect turned onto West Leslie Drive in San Gabriel, he stopped the stolen truck when he saw spike strips had been deployed,” according to Gomez. “The officers ordered the suspect to turn the vehicle off numerous times. The suspect did not comply and instead put the truck in reverse and started backing toward the officers, trying to hit them. At that time an officer-involved shooting took place.”
The wounded suspect was hospitalized in stable condition, while the other suspect was booked at the El Monte Police Department.
No officers were injured, officials said.