Authorities continued to search for an armed man who fired at Riverside police officers Monday night, and were working to confirm whether or not the man was inside a home that burned Tuesday morning.
Officers responded to a suspicious vehicle call at around 11 p.m. Monday in the 4000 block of MacArthur Road, said Officer Ryan Railsback of the Riverside Police Department.
A man was standing outside of the vehicle that had occupants inside of it, Railsback said. When the officers approached the man, he ran away and police followed him to a small side street at MacArthur Road and Garfield Street.
The man produced a handgun and fired shots toward officers, Railsback said. The officers fired back, but the gunman took off on foot.
The officers were not injured, Railsback said. It is unknown if the suspect was struck.
The occupants inside the vehicle stayed at the scene and were detained and being questioned by authorities, Railsback said.
SWAT agents, K-9's and police helicopters set up a wide, tactical perimeter and scoured the scene for the gunman.
On Tuesday morning, a house in the search area burned for several hours. It was not immediately clear if the shooter was in the home or how the fire started.
Firefighters doused flames and hot spots from the exterior, but did not enter the home. They were escorted by SWAT members due to the possibility of encountering the gunman.
Riverside police investigators believe he may have been inside the home, but could not officially confirm he was inside Tuesday around 11 a.m.
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This incident comes on the heels of the fatal shooting of Keith Boyer, a veteran officer with the Whittier Police Department who was killed in the line of duty while responding to a traffic stop Monday morning.
Annette Arreola contributed to this report.
