SAN DIEGO POLICE INVOLVED IN TWO EARLY MORNING GUN INCIDENTS

 PoliceOne.com

2000-02-24 15:00:52

SAN DIEGO – San Diego police were involved in two unrelated incidents involving guns just hours apart Wednesday morning.

The first shooting occurred around 2:15 a.m., when an officer began chasing a suspected car thief after checking the license plate and learning the vehicle had been stolen. As the officer tried to stop the car, the driver and passenger leaped from the vehicle, which then rolled across the street and struck a house.

While running after the suspects, the officer drew his weapon and ordered them to stop. One suspect ran between some houses and hid under a parked car in a driveway. The officer raised his flashlight to illuminate the suspect and in doing so, hit his gun hand. The impact caused his gun to accidentally discharge, according to Homicide Lt. Jim Duncan.

The bullet struck the teen-aged suspect in the right leg. He was being treated at a hospital and was arrested on suspicion of auto theft. The other suspect was still at large.

Police officials said the shooting was being investigated as an accident.

The second incident occurred about 7:45 a.m. near Shorewood Drive in Skyline when Officer John Russell tried to stop a motorist driving erratically. The driver stopped in front of a residence, got out of the car and ran toward the home, shedding some clothes along the way.

Russell drew his gun and chased the man into the house, where the suspect confronted him.

“In the house, the suspect grabbed hold of our officer’s gun and pulled the trigger a few times,” said police spokesman Bill Robinson. “The officer alertly had the safety lock on.”

Several officers arrived and helped subdue the man.

The suspect, Michael L. Johnson, 22, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a police officer and driving under the influence of drugs.

Both incidents came less than 36 hours after two police officers were shot and wounded while trying to escort a man from the lobby of the Marriott Suites hotel. John Edward Weir, 20, died after being shot five times by the officers when they returned fire.

Officer Mitchell Vitug was wounded in the arm and chest. He remained in critical but stable condition. Reserve Officer Quinton Kawahara, who was struck in the chest, was released from a hospital Tuesday afternoon. He had been wearing his bulletproof vest at the time of the shooting.


Backup news staff writer Stacia Opland