A suspect and a California Highway Patrol officer were injured in a scuffle, and gunfire, Sunday in Dana Point, authorities said.
It happened around 1:30 a.m. in the Dana Strand beach parking lot near Pacific Coast Highway, Orange County sheriff's Lt. Steve Gil said. A CHP officer tried to stop a stolen vehicle when the suspect rammed the officer's vehicle, disabling it in the process, said Orange County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Rich Himmel.
The officer fired at the man, who was able to drive away, prompting a "large-scale" search involving helicopters and police K-9s, Himmel said. Two hours later and about a mile away from the shooting, the suspect's vehicle was found abandoned in a ravine. An hour after that, the suspect was found hiding in a restroom at the Monarch Beach Resort and suffering from a gunshot wound.
The suspect was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The CHP officer was treated and released at a hospital, said Carrie Braun of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
The incident remains under investigation.
