A deputy with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department was shot Tuesday while attempting a traffic stop.
According to San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus, a deputy attempted to get the driver of a white vehicle to pull over near the intersection of Bobbett Drive and East Olive Street in San Bernardino at around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday. More than a dozen gunshots can be heard on video captured of the pursuit.
San Bernardino police told KTLA that once pursuit was engaged, the driver turned onto Bobbett Drive, stopped, got out of his vehicle and "laid in wait for the deputy." Law enforcement have characterized the shooting as an "ambush."
The deputy, a male in his late 20s who has been with the sheriff’s department for around four years, suffered minor injuries to his face and arm. He received treatment at a nearby hospital where Dicus said he was alert, coherent and recovering.
Images taken at the intersection of Bobbett and East Olive at 5 p.m. on Tuesday show the deputy’s cruiser was completely bombed out. Detectives are still trying to determine why the vehicle caught on fire.
San Bernardino city police located a white BMW sedan possibly belonging to the suspect parked near a home on Date Street. The suspect, a man believed to be 27 years old, remains at large.
In an interview with KTLA, San Bernardino Police Department Sgt. Equino Thomas warned, "If this person is willing to shoot at deputies or officers, I would consider them definitely dangerous—a danger to the public."
An investigation into the incident is ongoing. Anyone with information can contact the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department at (909) 387-8313.
