Police officers in California shot and killed a man who authorities said drove a black Mustang at officers and rammed the vehicle into two cop cars in a Walmart parking lot on Thursday.
A woman who was also in the car was shot and wounded, and two other male passengers attempted to flee on foot before being taken into custody, the Daily Press reported.
The shooting occurred after members of the Barstow Police Department were called to the Walmart parking lot at 10.53am Pacific to check out a ‘suspicious vehicle,’ Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Cindy Bachman said.
One BPD officer sustained ‘non-life threatening’ injuries during the incident.
Police officers in Barstow, California shot and killed a man who authorities said drove a black Mustang at them, ramming the vehicle into two cop cars in Walmart’s parking lot on Thursday
‘It was a very, very chaotic scene,’ Patricia Cullen said, who arrived just after the officer-involved shooting.
‘People were very upset, and some were yelling and harassing the officers. It was very emotional.’
When police arrived on scene, the driver of the Mustang was recognized as ‘being wanted for a recent crime’ related to a stolen vehicle case, Bachman said.
Upon realizing the cops had been called, the driver of the Mustang drove the vehicle into a parking space, reverse and accelerated toward the approaching officers.
At that point, the driver struck a Barstow Police patrol car with the Mustang.
‘The officers were now out of their vehicles and giving the driver commands to stop and exit the vehicle,’ Bachman said.
‘The driver then accelerated a second time towards the officers, and struck a second Barstow patrol car. At that time, the officer-involved shooting occurred.’
Both the man and woman were shot while inside the car with the two other passengers, Bachman said.
The man, who a Desert Dispatch reporter said appeared to be a black male, was pronounced dead on the scene.
Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Cindy Bachman talks to reporters
Riley and Barstow Police confirmed the man identified as the driver was fatally shot at the scene; Barstow police vehicles are seen here in this stock photo
The woman was taken for treatment by airlift to a trauma center, Bachman said.
Cullen said she was shot in the leg and abdomen.
Of the two male passengers who attempted to flee the scene, one suffered ‘injuries to his lower extremities’ and was taken for treatment to a local hospital. The other was detained ‘a short distance away’ without incurring any injuries, Bachman said.
‘He is currently at the Barstow Police Department being detained and questioned,’ she said.
No other injuries were reported, by bystanders, officers, or emergency response personnel.
City spokesperson Anthony Riley and Barstow Fire Protection District Chief Jamie Williams told the Daily Press that the officer-involved shooting occurred at the Walmart located at 301 Montara Road at around 11.30am.
Riley and Barstow Police confirmed the man identified as the driver was fatally shot at the scene.
The Barstow Sheriff’s Office will conduct an officer-involved shooting investigation, Bachman said.
Any vehicles that were in the parking lot at the time of the incident will not be released until the investigation is complete, police said.
The Walmart will remain closed until further notice.
Anyone who may have witnessed the shooting or who has any information is asked to contact Detective Bruce Southwarth at 909-398-3589. Persons wishing to remain anonymous can contact the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-782-7463 or online at www.wetip.com.