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2 Officers Hurt, Suspect in Custody After High-Speed Chase


An armed robbery suspect led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit from Orange County to Solana Beach Thursday before ramming two officers with his car, authorities said.

The high-speed pursuit down southbound Interstate 5 came to a close when the driver exited the freeway onto Loma Santa Fe Drive and headed east at about 5 a.m.

At that time, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said they were requested for backup and had a report of two officers down.

Two California Highway Patrol officers were injured during a momentary stop during the chase; the officers had conducted a pit maneuver and temporarily stalled the vehicle.

At that point, the driver ran down the officers as they were outside their vehicle and shots were fired, CHP said. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is now investigating what led up to the shooting, including who fired the shots.

Both CHP officers were transported to the hospital with moderate injuries, officer Mark Latulippe said. One had a broken ankle. 

The driver continued eastbound on Loma Santa Fe. About an hour later, a suspect was taken into custody in a gated Rancho Santa Fe neighborhood, about two miles east of the freeway, after a massive manhunt involving several law enforcement agencies. 

NBC 7 captured footage of one suspect being fitted with a neck brace and placed on a stretcher and into an ambulance. The severity of his injuries was not known. 

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSO) said they started the chase after an armed robbery at a gas station on Alicia Parkway. 

Deputies spotted the suspected vehicle involved and attempted to pull the car over, but the driver took off, prompting the chase on southbound I-5, OCSD said.

The chase reached speeds up to 125 miles per hour, Latulippe said. 

“Given the time frame of this pursuit, early morning, probably light traffic conditions, were able to maintain those speeds with that party as long as it’s safe,” he said. 

The whereabouts of the second robbery suspect were not known. 

Several law enforcement agencies were involved in the cross-county incident, including CHP, OCSO, SDSO, Carlsbad police and others. 

While the investigation was ongoing, two separate portions of Loma Santa Fe were blocked off. 

“We’re cutting off a main artery through Rancho Santa Fe; we do apologize for that but it is necessary,” Latulippe said. 

The scene where the shooting occurred was still active at about 10 a.m.

No other information was available.

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Source: NBC San Diego

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