Two California Highway Patrol officers were injured Thursday morning when a driver being pursued from Orange County struck them in the coastal community of Solana Beach in San Diego County.
Dispatchers received a call around 4:20 a.m. from a person who reported an armed robbery at a Chevron on Alicia Parkway near the 5 Freeway in the Laguna Hills area, Orange County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Carrie Braun said.
The caller also reported that a man armed with a gun left the area in a vehicle, described as a black Dodge Charger, Braun said, adding that investigators later determined that the suspect was involved in a road rage incident -- not a robbery -- and threatened the victims with a gun in the parking lot of the Chevron before taking off, City News Service reported.
No injuries were reported from that incident.
Deputies responded to the area and located the vehicle a short time later, but the driver sped south on the 5 Freeway, Braun said. The driver exited at Lomas Santa Fe Drive around 5 a.m.
Two CHP officers spotted the car and confronted the driver, who struck the officers with the car. Both officers were taken to a hospital with moderate injuries, one with a broken ankle, NBC7 reported.
The vehicle involved in the pursuit was found unoccupied near the intersection of La Floresta and Linea Del Cielo.
Police Chases
Video from Southern California's police pursuits and follow-ups on what happened after the chase
The suspect was located around 6:10 a.m. and taken into custody, Braun said.
Further details about the suspect and where he was located were not immediately available.
