I-15 Pursuit Suspect Shot Dead Following Freeway Shooting, Chase and SWAT Standoff: UPDATES

UPDATE 7:30 P.M. – A man who led authorities on a chase along Interstate 15 into the Temecula Valley – all the while shooting at officers with an assault rifle – was ultimately shot and killed following a SWAT standoff at a Lake Elsinore home, sheriff's deputies revealed Thursday night.

It all started just before 9 p.m. Wednesday, when the driver of a black Ford F-150 truck was pulled over on I-15 near Indian Truck Trail on suspicion of DUI, according to CHP Public Information Officer Dan Olivas.

The officer made an enforcement stop on the suspected DUI driver, and the driver pulled to the right shoulder, and during contact with the officer, the suspect became "extremely uncooperative," Olivas said.

"The driver made verbal threats toward the officer and began making furtive movements within the vehicle," he said. "For his own safety, the officer retreated and took cover behind a nearby barrier. The driver exited his vehicle with a gun and began shooting at the patrol vehicle, striking the patrol vehicle several times and rendering it disabled."

At that point, the suspect then re-entered his vehicle and fled southbound Interstate 15, Olivas said. A nearby CHP officer monitored the call of shots fired and responded to the location of the shooting, and a pursuit ensued. The officer was not injured.

From there, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department joined in the pursuit, assigning several patrol units and a helicopter, according to Deputy Mike Vasquez.

"At various times during the pursuit the suspect continued to fire an assault rifle at pursuing units and the helicopter," Vasquez said in a news release.

The man continued on the freeway until Railroad Canyon, where he exited, officials reported. The pursuit continued into a residential neighborhood near Villa Roma and Via Palmieki Court, within the Tuscany Hills community of Lake Elsinore.

That's when the man got out of his truck and continued to shoot at law enforcement officers, officials say.

"The suspect exited his vehicle and fired upon deputies with his assault rifle resulting in a deputy involved shooting," Vasquez said.

He then tried to get into a local home, and shot into it, according to the deputy. That's when SWAT was summoned to the scene and the man was killed after allegedly continuing to shoot at officers.

"The suspect fired upon SWAT Team personnel with his assault rifle and a second deputy involved shooting occurred," Vasquez said. "Deputies rendered medical aid but the suspect ultimately succumbed to his injuries."

The man's identity is not yet being released.

Following the incident, the CHP closed all lanes of the 15, from Indian Truck Trail to Railroad Canyon, for the investigation. CHP officials tell Patch the freeway was reopened at 7:07 a.m.

The deputies involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave, per the sheriff's department's policy. Their names were not immediately released.