Elsinore Burglary Suspects Try To Ram Deputy, Get Shot At: Police

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A sheriff's deputy from L.A. shot at a trio of burglary suspects in Lake Elsinore on Tuesday after the man spotted them trying to steal a vehicle, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department reports. The burglary suspects, who were not identified, reportedly tried to ram the deputy with a car just prior to him pulling the trigger.

The incident unfolded around 3:30 a.m. in the area of Edgewood Drive and McVicker Canyon Park Road, according to Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Chris Willison. The off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy "witnessed a possible vehicle burglary in progress."

"The deputy identified himself and attempted to detain the suspect," Willison said in a news release. "The suspect fled to a waiting vehicle occupied by two other people."

At that point, the suspects refused to surrender and "drove into the deputy" — injuring him — at which point the deputy-involved shooting occurred, the sergeant said.

The deputy immediately caught one of the three suspects while the other two escaped on foot, Willison said.

"As Lake Elsinore Police officers responded to assist, they apprehended one suspect in the immediate vicinity, and after an extensive search of the area, located the third suspect," according to Willison.

One suspect sustained a minor injury during the shooting and was treated and released at an area hospital, Willison said. Details on the deputy's injuries were not immediately available.

Both the Riverside and Los Angeles county sheriff's departments are investigating the incident, and the deputy involved has been placed on administrative leave.

— City News Service contributed to this report / Image via Shutterstock