UPDATE: Rifle-wielding man who repeatedly fired upon pursuing officers killed in Palm Springs
UPDATED: Friday, Oct. 15, 12:30 p.m., With additional details and information from Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Originally Published: Thursday, Oct. 14, 11:55 a.m.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif., — Authorities have confirmed that a man who led officers and deputies on a dangerous, twenty mile pursuit early Thursday morning – all while continuing to fire at pursuing officials – was later killed in a barrage of gunfire, with witnesses later reporting hearing “dozens of gunshots” where the pursuit came to an end in Palm Springs.
Although one officer’s patrol vehicle was disabled by the suspect’s gunfire, no officers or deputies were injured as a result of the pursuit or subsequent fatal shooting, which involved officers and deputies from three different law enforcement agencies, according to officials.
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Thursday’s fatal incident began around 12:30 a.m. when a Banning Police officer was shot at by a suspect during a traffic stop off State Highway 243 in Banning, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Albert Martinez has since reported; saying, “During the shooting the gunfire struck the Banning Police vehicle and disabled it.”
After the initial shooting the suspect, whose name has not yet been released, fled the scene in an older model green station wagon, and Banning PD put out an emergency broadcast requesting assistance from all area law enforcement agencies.
An approximate 20-mile pursuit that began in Banning came to a fatal conclusion in Palm Springs when officers and deputies from three agencies opened fire on a rifle-wielding suspect who had repeatedly fired upon pursuing officers early Thursday morning. KESQ News photo
Police officers from the neighboring city of Beaumont were first to respond to the area and soon located the shooting suspect driving eastbound on Interstate 10. Beaumont PD officers attempted to stop the suspect, who failed to yield and fled at a high rate of speed away from officials, who initiated a vehicle pursuit.
Beaumont officers were soon joined by Riverside County sheriff’s deputies as they pursued the suspect eastbound on Interstate 10 toward the Palm Springs area.
As the chase continued, the suspect fired at officers multiple times and information was relayed to Palm Springs Police Department and other desert agencies advising them of a pursuit of an armed suspect heading toward their jurisdiction.
“Upon entering the Palm Springs area, the suspect exited on North Indian Canyon Drive where he ultimately stopped his vehicle on the offramp,” Martinez explained; saying, “At that time, a deputy/officer involved shooting occurred.”
An eyewitness later told KESQ News they heard two vollys of gunfire, that began with dozens of gunshots in the area of Garnet and Indian Canyon.
“The helicopter told him to come out with his hands up, and I guess the guy didn’t come out with his hands up,” said nearby gas station manager Micael Davison; who said he then heard “another 20 to 30 rounds shot off.”
After the hail of gunfire, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau (SWAT) and Palm Springs PD used tactical armored rescue vehicles to safely and cautiously approach the suspect’s vehicle, where the man was still armed and barricaded inside his vehicle.
“Upon approaching the vehicle, the suspect was found deceased,” Martinez continued; adding that the rifle used by the suspect was located inside his vehicle.
In total, officers and deputies from three different agencies, including the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, as well as both the Beaumont and Palm Springs police departments, were involved in the fatal shooting, according to the Sergeant. The involved deputies and officers will be placed on administrative leave per their Department policies and their names have not been released.
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An Investigator from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office is now leading the shooting investigation, aided by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Force Investigations Detail and their investigation is active and ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact District Attorney Investigator Carranza at (951) 955-6705 or Riverside County Sheriff’s Investigator Bishop at (951) 955-2777. Callers can refer to incident file number B212870001 and can remain anonymous.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor 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, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.
Thankfully no officers were hurt.
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