A man was shot by the Azusa Police Department on Friday, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is assisting with the investigation, the Sheriff’s Department announced.
The incident began just before 5 p.m. in a parking lot the 200 block of Azusa Avenue when Azusa Police Department officers found a vehicle that had been reported stolen, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
When officers tried to contact the man and woman inside the allegedly stolen vehicle, the driver accelerated away, striking multiple patrol cars while he headed toward officers on foot, police said.
Officers then opened fire, though police did not provide the number of shots that were fired.
The allegedly stolen car then turned onto Azusa Lane, where the driver lost control, driving through a chain link fence and entering a drainage channel.
“The vehicle came to rest on its side at the bottom of the wash as Azusa PD officers contained the area. With the assistance of their SWAT team, they were able to take the suspect into custody,” the Sheriff’s Department’s statement read.
The 25-year-old man, who was not named, sustained one gunshot wound and was taken to a nearby hospital. He is in critical condition, police said.
The passenger in the allegedly stolen car, a 28-year-old woman who was also not named, was detained as well. She sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the crash and was also taken to a nearby hospital, police said.
The Sheriff’s Department said a gun was found near the allegedly stolen car, and no officers were injured during the incident.
No further details were available.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit lacrimestoppers.org.