San Diego Police officers shot and wounded an armed suspect downtown on Saturday afternoon, prompting protests that lasted through the evening.
The suspect — who officers thought they recognized from a wanted poster — pointed a gun at them, authorities said.
Two officers, who were in the 1200 block of Sixth Avenue at 5:45 p.m. Saturday noticed a man leaving a building on the west side of the street and thought he resembled a man sought in connection with a recent robbery, according to Lt. Matt Dobbs of the San Diego Police Department.
The officers tried to engage the man, before he took out a gun and pointed it at one of them, police said.
“When the officers attempted to contact the male he refused to cooperate with their directions and walked away,” Dobbs said, adding one chased him down the street, the other on the sidewalk. “As he was walking, he dropped the items he was carrying in his hands and began reaching towards his waistband.”
It was the officer in the street the suspect was aiming at, Dobbs said.
Both officers shot at the man, who was hit and fell to the ground, he said.
The officers provided first aid before paramedics took him to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery, police said.
No officers were injured.
Police said surveillance footage backs up their claim the man refused to cooperate, but the shooting remains under investigation.
The item appears to be a revolver wrapped in a bandana, authorities said.
It remains unclear whether the suspect shot at police or not.
The 25-year-old man’s identity has not been released.
The incident will now be investigated by several agencies, and will be monitored the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Several hundred people gathered at the scene of the shooting to protest police use of force. The protest continued past midnight, but no arrests were reported.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
–City News Service
