Deputy fires gun at reportedly armed suspect
Written by Trevor Montgomery
On Wednesday, November 4, a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy fired his weapon at a man who had reportedly been armed with a knife and was threatening people with it.
At about 6:30 p.m., deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Jurupa Valley station, responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call within the 4300 block of Mapleton Circle, in the unincorporated area of Jurupa Valley.
The 911 caller advised Sheriff’s Central Dispatch an adult male was in possession of a knife, and was threatening people inside the residence.
Multiple deputies responded to the location and encountered a male, who was hiding in the backyard of the residence. Despite their loud, verbal commands, the suspect refused to comply with deputies’ orders.
A Pepperball Gun, similar to the type used by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
At some point, the suspect began advancing at the deputies. Deputies used a pepper ball launcher in an attempt to safely subdue the suspect. Despite being repeatedly struck with the pepper ball rounds, the suspect continued to refuse to comply with the deputies’ orders.
A pepper ball launcher is a CO2 powered projectile weapon that fires a frangible ball. The ball breaks upon impact and releases an extremely effective powder chemical-based irritant called Pelargonic Acid Vanillylamide, also known as capsaicin pepper.
The suspect, who deputies still believed was in possession of the knife, continued advancing towards them and refused to comply with the their commands. The suspect then reached for an unknown object from behind his back and aggressively swung at the officers. At that time one of the deputies discharged their duty weapon in the direction of the suspect, who was not hit in the shooting.
After the officer involved shooting, the suspect surrendered and was taken into custody without further incident. No officers were injured during the incident. The suspect has not yet been identified.
The deputy involved in the shooting was placed on administrative leave, per Department policy.
Regarding the incident, Deputy Michael Vasquez of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Media Information Bureau wrote, “The involved deputy’s name will not be released at this time. Investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Departments Central Homicide Unit responded and assumed the investigation. This is an active and ongoing investigation. The Jurupa Valley Police Department encourages anyone with information regarding the incident to contact Central Homicide Investigator Dickey at (951) 955-2777 or Investigator Pierson at (951) 955-2600.”
Callers can refer to incident file number JV153080125 and can remain anonymous?
Contact the writer: [email protected]
