CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) – A man suspected of holding another man hostage with a knife to his throat was shot by an officer in Chula Vista on Saturday night.
At about 7:45 p.m., Chula Vista police received several calls from the 600 block of Moss Street. According to a release, the callers stated that "two homeless people were possibly setting up camp in an apartment stairwell, banging on doors, yelling, and possibly using drugs or dealing with mental illness."
When officers arrived, they found one of the men in an apartment stairwell and contacted him. The suspect moved a blanket from in front of him and showed that he was holding the second man hostage with a knife to his throat, SDPD said.
Officers gave the suspect commands and called in additional units. One of the responding officers was a CVPD Crisis Team member and began negotiating with the suspect. The suspect continued to yell, refused to cooperate and threatened to kill the hostage.
The suspect pressed the knife to the victim’s throat, continued ignoring negotiations, and threatened to kill him. A K-9, who is also a member of the department's SWAT team, responded.
"The canine officer and a team of other officers climbed through a balcony to enter an apartment positioned to the side of the suspect," SDPD said. "The canine officer unlocked and cracked the apartment door open. At that point, the officer fired his department-issued rifle at the suspect, striking him in the head."
The victim was able to run away while officers performed first aid on the suspect until paramedics arrived.
The victim, a 34-year-old man who is currently homeless in Chula Vista, was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries to his neck. He has been identified, but his name is not being released at this time. Police said the victim didn’t know the suspect until that day when he threatened him and forced him to go to the apartment complex.
The suspect has not been identified and is approximately six feet tall, 230 lbs., with short brown hair, a beard, and tattoos on his chest and arms. He was taken to the hospital but is not expected to survive his injuries.
ABC 10News spoke with neighbors on Sunday who shared cell phone video of the incident. In the video, officers can be heard demanding the suspect drop his weapon.
“It’s scary I got my wife and family here. It’s pretty crazy…it’s getting worse over here it’s getting pretty bad," said Jamie Mefford.
Mefford said crime has increased in the neighborhood since homeless people have started living in a vacant building next to their apartment complex.
“They come over here and steal our clothes they steal off our balconies they break into our cars they actually broke into my mother’s car," said Mefford. "We need more security."
The officer involved has been with the Chula Vista Police Department for approximately five years and is assigned as a K-9 handler. No officers were injured during the incident.
The San Diego Police Homicide Unit was called to the scene to investigate the officer-involved shooting. Detectives gather evidence, interview witnesses, and examine the circumstances surrounding the shooting. When the homicide unit completes the investigation, it will be reviewed by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.
CVPD will conduct an administrative investigation into the shooting. The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Attorney’s Office will also monitor the investigation.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the homicide unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
