Aug. 07--RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- An off-duty West Covina police detective was dragged by a car Monday night after he caught and chased a man who was burglarizing his home.
The officer, whose name wasn't released, suffered cuts and scrapes. Paramedics took him to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fontana.
The suspect, Leopoldo Rojano Pizzaro, 30, of San Bernardino, was arrested and booked into West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies received a call at 8:05 p.m. regarding a burglary alarm at a home in the 5500 block of Crestline Place. The detective, who lives at the home, also received an alert about the burglary, said sheriff's Sgt. Gary Odebralski.
"He and his wife were nearby," he said.
The detective arrived before deputies and encountered Pizzaro. The man hadn't had a chance to steal anything from the residence.
"He got into a scuffle with the suspect, was dragged by the vehicle that the suspect was trying to leave in and fired several rounds at the car," Odebralski said.
Fontana police found the gray Nissan abandoned on Tokay Avenue south of Foothill Boulevard around 10 p.m.
"(Pizzaro) was standing across the street looking at the car," Fontana police Sgt. Robert Morris said.
Sheriff's deputies took him into custody.
"He was brought to the station, where he later confessed to the incident," Odebralski said.
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