An armed man was shot and killed by deputies in Murrieta after a pursuit ended in an exchange of gunfire Thursday morning, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
The incident began around 8:45 a.m. when authorities received a call regarding a man brandishing a gun during an argument with another individual at a residence in the 31000 block of Borega Road, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Tamrin Olden.
In addition to being armed, the subject was also reported to have possibly been under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to Olden.
The man left the scene as deputies were arriving. They located him behind the wheel of a pickup truck in French Valley around 9:12 a.m. and initiated a pursuit, she said.
Multiple agencies were involved in the chase, including the Sheriff’s Department, the Murrieta Police Department and the California Highway Patrol.
Units made several attempts to stop the pickup, deploying spike strips and utilizing PIT maneuvers, Olden said.
Around 9:52 a.m., an armored police vehicle stopped the truck in the 23000 block of Jefferson Avenue. At that point, the driver allegedly opened fire.
“The suspect fired several shots at the deputies and struck several of the vehicles,” Olden said. “That’s where the deputy-involved shooting occurred.”
The man was pronounced dead at the scene. He has not yet been identified.
No deputies or bystanders were injured.
It was not immediately clear how many rounds were fired by the man and by deputies. A firearm was recovered at the scene, according to Olden.
People have been asked to avoid the area of Jefferson and Grizzly Ridge Drive “until further notice,” Murrieta police said in a Facebook post.
