A California Highway Patrol officer was shot and critically wounded and a suspect was killed during a traffic stop Sunday evening on Highway 99 near Elk Grove Boulevard in Elk Grove.
The CHP officer was taken to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in south Sacramento, where he underwent surgery Sunday night for wounds that did not appear to be life-threatening, CHP Officer Mike Bradley said.
Hospital spokesman Edwin Garcia said the officer, who was not identified, was in critical condition.
The suspect, who was identified by investigators as a man in his 60s, was shot and killed by one of several Elk Grove police officers who responded to a report that an officer was down.
Meanwhile, southbound lanes of Highway 99 were closed and traffic was diverted at Elk Grove Boulevard while investigators searched the scene for clues. The suspect's body remained in the vehicle throughout the evening during the investigation, which was being led by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.
At a news conference Sunday night, sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos said the incident began around 5:30 p.m., when a CHP officer stopped a blue Chevy compact sedan on Highway 99 about a quarter-mile south of Elk Grove Boulevard and called for a backup unit.
When the second CHP officer arrived, the Chevy driver got out of his car and fired shots, striking the backup officer, Ramos said. One of the CHP officers returned fire as the driver got back in his car and attempted to flee for about 100 yards before losing control. The car flipped on its side on the highway shoulder.
Elk Grove police officers who responded approached the car and ordered the driver "multiple times" to show his hands, Ramos said. When the driver instead made furtive movements that presented "a very credible threat," an Elk Grove officer fired a shot that killed the driver, Ramos said.
Meanwhile, an off-duty nurse administered first aid to the wounded CHP officer. Bradley said the wounded officer had been with the CHP for only a year and recently had transferred from Hayward.
Nearby resident Mellisa Bernett said she heard "more than 15 shots" followed by sirens. When she went out to investigate, she said, she saw police officers pulling two dogs from the car.
Herbie McQuay, sales manager at Elk Grove Kia, said he heard sounds of a screeching car and a crash and saw a vehicle on its side with taillights flashing. Six or seven police officers surrounded the vehicle with guns drawn, he said.
Copyright 2011 - The Sacramento Bee, Calif.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
