PERRIS: Officers shoot at truck that rammed their patrol vehicle

PERRIS – At least one Riverside police officer opened fire on a pickup truck during an early morning vehicle pursuit that began in the City of Riverside and continued into an unincorporated area south of Woodcrest and north of Mead Valley Sept. 23.

The truck was described as a lifted, grey, full-sized Dodge Ram, with dark tinted windows and paper dealership plates.

The pursuit began in the City of Riverside Friday morning at about 1:35 a.m. when a Riverside police officer attempted to stop the truck in the area of Alessandro Boulevard and Barton Road in the area of Mission Grove.

The driver of the truck refused to yield and fled from the officer, leading to the high-speed pursuit. The chase first wound its way through and then out of the city.

During the pursuit, the unidentified suspect drove in an extremely reckless manner without regard for the safety of pursuing officers or other motorists; at times reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph.

Other officers joined the pursuit; however they briefly lost sight of the suspect during the dangerous chase.

Shortly after the truck eluded the initial pursuing officers, another Riverside PD patrol vehicle with two police officers spotted the fleeing driver and resumed the chase.

As the truck fled into the area of northern Mead Valley the driver slammed on the brakes on Nandina Street in the area of Alexander and Brown Streets.

The shooting happened after the driver of the truck put the vehicle into reverse, and backed up rapidly, smashing into the front of and then up onto the hood of the pursuing patrol vehicle. The driver of the police car had no time to avoid the impact of the lifted truck.

When the lifted truck backed up and over the hood of the patrol vehicle one or both officers reportedly opened fire at the male driver, who was the sole occupant of the truck.

After intentionally ramming into the officer’s vehicle the suspect took off again.

It was not immediately known if the officers were able to continue temporarily pursuing the truck or if other officers assumed the chase; however, the officer’s vehicle that was rammed became disabled from the intentional collision and they were no longer able to continue their pursuit.

The truck – which continued fleeing with a possible flat tire – was last seen heading towards the I-215 Freeway in the area of Cajalco Road and Harvill Avenue.

In spite of assistance from other Riverside police officers, Riverside PD’s helicopter “Air 1”, and Riverside County sheriff’s deputies the suspect managed to elude capture.

Because the suspect was not apprehended, it was not known if he was struck by the officers’ gunfire.

Officials did not immediately release whether one or both officers discharged their weapons or how many rounds were fired at the suspect.

Neither of the two officers were injured in the collision that disabled their vehicle.

After the shooting incident Riverside police detectives and Riverside County sheriff’s investigators responded to the scene to investigate the shooting.

 

This is a developing story. More information will be updated as it becomes available.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.