Police shot and killed a man who was armed with a rifle early last Thursday morning in Southern California, authorities said.
The man’s name was not immediately released by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. No officers were injured in the shooting.
The incident began around 12:30 a.m. when the man shot at a Banning, Calif., police officer during a traffic stop, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. The department would not say what prompted the officer to perform the traffic stop in Banning, which is located about 85 miles (137 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
The officer’s vehicle was struck by gunfire and the suspect drove away, authorities said. Officers from the Beaumont Police Department spotted the man’s vehicle and pursued him along Interstate 10 toward Palm Springs.
The man shot at the Beaumont officers who were pursuing him on the freeway, the sheriff’s department said. The suspect exited the freeway and stopped his vehicle on an off-ramp.
Members of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Beaumont Police Department and Palm Springs Police Department opened fire, striking the man inside his vehicle. The officers and deputies’ names were not immediately released and it was not immediately clear how many bullets they fired.
The man was found dead inside his vehicle, as was his rifle, the sheriff’s department said.
ap.org | Contributed
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