Investigation Continues Into Officer-Involved Shooting Following I-5 Police Pursuit

OCEANSIDE, CA — The California Highway Patrol is investigating an officer-involved shooting after a multi-agency pursuit that began in Orange County and ended in Oceanside.

Buena Park police officers attempted to stop a gray 2005 Cadillac CTS for a traffic violation at 12:47 a.m. Saturday near the intersection of La Palma Avenue and San Marino Drive, but the driver took off, prompting officers to begin a pursuit, according to the Buena Park Police Department and the California Highway Patrol. The chase continued south onto Interstate 5 and the pursuit was turned over to the CHP.

The multi-county pursuit traversed several freeways for more than an hour before entering the Oceanside CHP jurisdiction, where officers used legal intervention to stop the suspect vehicle on southbound I-5, according to CHP Sgt. Omar Morales.

"The driver, armed with a handgun, exited the vehicle and fled on foot," he said. "Moments later, an officer-involved shooting occurred."

With a full freeway closure in place for several hours, the suspect remained in a large brush area on the freeway median between the northbound and southbound lanes of I-5, north of Harbor Drive, according to Morales. Despite repeated commands from CHP and Buena Park police officers, the suspect refused to surrender and remained uncooperative, Morales said.

The suspect was taken into custody around 7:40 a.m. and taken to a local hospital for treatment of major injuries, according to Morales. During their investigation, officers recovered an unserialized firearm, commonly referred to as a ghost gun, where the suspect was taken into custody.

No officers were injured in the shooting.

The CHP Border Division Major Crimes Unit is investigating the shooting. Anyone who witnessed the incident was asked to contact CHP Border Division at 858-944-6300.