CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) — A Carlsbad police officer who shot his gun at a suspect after they assaulted him with a skateboard over the weekend has been identified.
Michael McKinney, who has been on the Carlsbad police force since Sept. 2022, was the officer who was attacked after a rock shattered his spotlight and damaged his windshield around 11:15 p.m. on Friday, March 29, according to the San Diego Police Department. He has eight years of law enforcement experience.
The rock hit McKinney's vehicle in the 1000 block of Carlsbad Village Drive as he was driving under the I-5 freeway, and he subsequently pulled into a nearby parking lot to check the damage.
As McKinney and a supervisor inspected the patrol car, a suspect attacked him with a skateboard, striking him in the head, SDPD's press release says.
McKinney then aimed his weapon at the suspect, who was running west through the parking lot, and shot three times, but he missed, SDPD says. The CPD sergeant and more officers chased the suspect for about three blocks before they caught and arrested him.
"[McKinney] was not engaged in enforcement activities when his car was struck by a rock or when the suspect assaulted the officer," SDPD's release says.
McKinney was taken to a nearby hospital to get treatment for his serious head injuries. SDPD's release indicates he was still at the hospital as of Thursday, April 4.
SDPD's Homicide Unit is investigating the case, and they're working to determine if the rock that hit the patrol car was an accident or thrown on purpose by the attacker or another person.
Kyle McCord, a 32-year-old San Diego man, was arrested for attempted murder of a police officer and committing a felony while on bond or release, according to SDPD. He was booked into the Vista Jail, and the District Attorney's Office is reviewing the case as it considers bringing more charges.
No citizens were injured in this case.
SDPD is investigating the use of the officer's weapon for transparency purposes. The officer-involved shooting was the reason SDPD was on the scene in the first place as the situation initially unfolded.
