SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - San Diego police fatally shot a suspect Monday following a vehicle pursuit from San Ysidro to a neighborhood just south of Balboa Park.
The shooting occurred shortly before 4 p.m. in the 800 block of 26th Street, near E Street in Golden Hill, according to San Diego police. The suspect died at the scene. No officers were hit with gunfire, police said.
Police were initially called to Sanger Place and Blanche Street in San Ysidro over reports of a person — now described as a hispanic man in his 30s — who was being reckless with firearms and arguing with a bicyclist.
Lt. Juan Marquez, with the San Diego County Sheriff's Homicide Unit, sad the man had both a rifle and a handgun.
“The bicyclist left the area, and the suspect shot a round towards that subject but to the ground, not striking the victim," Lt. Marquez said.
Officers arrived soon after, but the suspect led police on a high-speed chase in his White Ford F-150.
The pursuit began around 3:30 p.m. in the area of Cypress Drive and Interstate 805, where the suspect had allegedly been firing a gun into the air, police said. The suspect led officers north on city streets and Interstate 5, before making his way onto Interstate 15, where he momentarily came to a stop in the northbound lanes.
Eventually, the suspect exited the freeway near downtown San Diego, heading east for about a half-mile and stopping in the Golden Hill residential neighborhood.
Those who live there described to ABC 10News what they saw.
“I would say like 70 miles an hour," said Daniel Lopez, speaking to the suspects' driving speed. "It was pretty fast.”
Vika Yanez said, “I think it was a lady that she mentioned that she was driving and she had to pull over because the guy was just driving recklessly.”
Lopez added, “I would say this is the most insane thing that’s happened in this area.”
Lt. Marquez said the suspect eventually hit a dead end on 26th Street near the E Street intersection.
WATCH: Sky10 flew above the scene shortly after the shooting
He apparently then put his vehicle in reverse and crashed into the K9 patrol unit, which deployed the units airbags. An officer in the car was hit by an airbag in the face. He was sent to the hospital with minor injuries. He's the only officer who suffered injuries of any kind during the entire pursuit and shooting, Lt. Marquez said.
After striking the K9 unit, the suspect then drove forward again, this time striking a pergola in front of a home. Lopez said, fortunately, the owners weren't inside as they've been living elsewhere during renovations.
That's when the SWAT Primary Response Team (PRT) moved in.
“The suspect vehicle revved up his engine, and the PRT vehicle placed their vehicle behind the suspect and two officers fired multiple rounds into the vehicle striking the suspect," Lt. Marquez said.
It doesn't appear the suspect fired any shots at officers, according to Lt. Marquez.
The suspect died at the scene at 4:10 p.m.
Inside the Ford F-150 Sheriff's Homicide Detectives recovered a rifle and a handgun.
Now, the San Diego County Sheriff's Homicide Unit is investigating, which is standard protocol for an officer-involved shooting withing the San Diego Police Department inside city limits.
Lt. Marquez said his team would be on scene for at least 12-18 hours through the night, speaking with witnesses and scanning the area. We should get more answers in the coming days.
