Following a stolen vehicle pursuit, one person was hospitalized after being shot by police in the La Presa neighborhood of Spring Valley on Thursday afternoon.
The car was stolen from a YMCA parking lot around 12:40 p.m., according to the San Diego Police Department. Officers then spotted it around 1:30 p.m. on Imperial Avenue and began pursuing the driver.
At the end of the chase, the driver hit a light pole, which then fell on the police car, injuring the officer inside, police said.
The shooting involving San Diego police was recorded on video obtained by NBC 7. The footage shows the driver emerge from the vehicle and get on their knees next to the car with their back toward the police, who have their weapons drawn.
Police can be heard shouting commands to the driver while they are kneeling. The driver appears to have their hands out to the side while kneeling on the ground before police fired two shots, at which point the driver falls to the ground.
The shooting is heard but not completely seen while a white car passes between the camera and the scene at the moments the shots are fired. It’s not completely clear from the video what transpired seconds before the person was shot.
After shots were fired, additional police arrived on the scene.
SDPD are set to release their own video soon from the officers’ point of view later on Thursday evening.
That person was hospitalized. Their condition is not known, but they were seen lying prone after the gunfire. The officer’s injuries were described as minor, according to a police spokesperson.
San Diego police have cordoned off streets while investigating the scene, but it is not immediately clear who will conduct the investigation into the discharge of a police weapon. San Diego County agencies have a memorandum of understanding that prevents law enforcement agencies from investigating use-of-force cases involving their own officers.
Police are asking that people steer clear of the intersection of Jamacha Road and Gillespie Drive as streets remain blocked in the area. There will be a heavy police presence in the area until further notice, SDPD posted on X around 2:05 p.m.
“There is currently no threat to the surrounding community,” SDPD clarified in the post.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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