SAN FRANCISCO, CA — An officer and a robbery suspect are fighting for their lives after being shot during a police chase in San Francisco Sunday night, authorities said.
The suspects had just made their way over the Bay Bridge just before 10:30 p.m. and were near Fifth and Folsom streets when officers tried pulling them over, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
The driver, however, refused, prompting a chase through city streets before the suspect crashed in the area of Bayshore Boulevard and Jerrold Avenue, police said.
That's when a suspect fired towards the officers, striking one multiple times, police said.
Officers fired back, striking a suspect in the passenger seat, police said.
The driver ran off but was taken into custody soon after in connection with the incident, police said, adding that the driver had two guns on their person.
The officer and the other suspect, meanwhile, were taken to local hospitals in critical condition, police said.
The officer is expected to survive, police said during a press conference Monday morning, but faces a "long road to recovery." The suspect remains in critical condition but is stable, police added.
"We are obviously very shaken by this traumatic event," SFPD Chief Derrick Lew said. "We saw new and seasoned officers alike were shaken to the core."
Lew called violence against officers unacceptable and said it would not be tolerated in San Francisco.
Mayor Daniel Lurie commended officers and first responders, saying the work they do takes tremendous courage and it was "on full display" last night.
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