At least one San Diego Police Department officer opened fire on a fleeing suspect in Balboa Park Tuesday, leaving the man wounded.
The San Diego County Sheriffs’ Department’s Homicide Unit is now investigating the incident.
Police say that a approximately 4p.m. Tuesday, officers attempted to stop a man who was riding a bicycle in the 2900 block of Balboa Drive.
The man rode away from the officers, first on the bicycle and then ran away on foot, said Lt. Juan Marquez of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
Two officers pursued him through the park and onto a nearby hillside. During the pursuit, police claim that the suspect turned toward the officers and fired one round from a firearm. A San Diego Police Department officer returned fire, discharging multiple rounds that struck the suspect, the sheriff’s department said.
The suspect was taken to a hospital, where he is being treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
A firearm was recovered at the scene and the suspect is expected to face criminal charges.
The San Diego County Sheriffs’ office’s Homicide Unit was called to the scene to conduct the officer-involved-shooting investigation. At this stage of the investigation, the motivation and circumstances of the shooting are still under investigation, the sheriff’s department said. Detectives are currently gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and examining the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Attorney’s office will also be monitoring the investigation, according to the sheriff’s department.
Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to call the Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330, after hours at (858) 868-3200. Anonymous calls can be made to San Diego Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
This story has been updated.
