April 24--APPLE VALLEY, Calif. -- A 28-year-old man tussled with a sheriff's deputy inside an ambulance early Monday morning, just minutes after the deputies shot and wounded him.
Deputies responded about 5 a.m. to a report of an armed man walking near the intersection of Erie and Thunderbird roads in Apple Valley.
Witnesses told dispatchers the man carried a rifle, a knife and possibly a handgun while he yelled erratically while walking down the street, according to a news release issued by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
The deputies found the man -- later identified as Daniel Whitaker, 28, of Apple Valley -- walking down the middle of Erie Road, just north of Thunderbird Road. He allegedly carried a rifle and knife.
When he spotted the deputies, Whitaker ran into a yard and hid behind a small tree and shot the the rifle at them, according to the news release.
The deputies shot back, hitting Whitaker.
Paramedics responded and found Whitaker suffering from a non-life-threatening wound, according to the news release. While en route to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, Whitaker allegedly assaulted a deputy riding in the ambulance.
The deputy -- who officials say was injured in the scuffle -- used his Taser to subdue Whitaker. Paramedics then took him to a hospital in the Inland Empire's High Desert area.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Joe Steers or Sgt. Jon Billings at 909-387-3589.
Copyright 2012 - KTLA-TV, Los Angeles
