Police say an officer-involved shooting at a Wal-Mart parking lot in Hesperia that left one person dead occurred after officers confronted vehicle theft suspects.
The shooting occurred when two undercover officers from the San Bernardino County Auto Theft Task Force (SANCATT) tried to stop the suspects, who were riding in a stolen car when they tried to steal an older model Honda Civic, investigators said.
The officers were actually in the parking lot investigating another case when the shooting took place, said San Bernardino County Sheriff's spokeswoman Cynthia Bachman. When the suspects tried to steal the Honda, the officers drove up and boxed in their car from the front and back, investigators said.
One of the officers got out and told the suspects to stop, which is when the driver accelerated, Bachman said. "As they approached the vehicle, the driver accelerated, nearly striking one of the officers," she said.
Investigators say the suspects' car rammed the officers' unmarked pickup truck and at least one officer opened fire, killing the driver and seriously wounding a front passenger. A back passenger was not hurt.
Shoppers in the area immediately headed for cover when the gunfire began.
"People were running outside, inside, trying to stay in one area. It was scary," said witness Chiana Hunter.
News
Top news of the day
William Vortuba, another witness, was emotional when recalling the incident. "What do you do at that moment? I just dropped to the ground, man. I'm getting tears just thinking about it," he said.
The owner of the vehicle in which the suspects were riding, who asked not to be identified, learned about her car's location when family members called her and told her the car was on the news.
"I was more concerned about the person that died more than anything," she said. "My car is replaceable, a person's life is not."
