ER - Shots fired

Shots fired at Sheriff's deputy during pursuit of two subjects
12/23/2006

Two men are still at large after an unknown subject fired shots early Friday morning in the direction of a Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputy following a brief pursuit on Harrison Avenue in Eureka.

The shooting occurred around 3:38 a.m., after two deputies observed a “suspicious blue car” near the intersection of Harris Street and Harrison Avenue, according to a news release issued by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

After a brief pursuit and a failed attempt to pull over the vehicle, the subjects left the car in a parking lot and ran. As the passenger exited the vehicle, he fired shots in the direction of one of the deputies before escaping on foot.

The release stated that the blue 1992 Pontiac Sunbird involved in the incident closely matched the description of a vehicle reportedly involved in an armed robbery at a market near Harris and K streets Tuesday evening.

In that incident, according to the Eureka Police Department, a witness heard two distinct “pops,” which were believed to be gunshots fired from the vehicle as it fled the scene. EPD officials believed that robbery may, in turn, have been related to a Tuesday morning armed robbery of a gas station on Broadway, along with a recent robbery of an Arcata gas station.

When deputies Friday began to follow the subjects, the vehicle “immediately began to take evasive maneuvers in an attempt to evade the following deputies,” the release stated.

Deputies lost sight of the vehicle near St. Joseph Hospital, but located it again as it pulled back onto Harrison near the old General Hospital Annex.

The car sped up and continued to evade a deputy after he attempted to pull the vehicle over for minor traffic violations. The vehicle failed to yield and continued behind the General Hospital Annex. The vehicle turned into a parking area in the 2300 block of Harrison before proceeding east toward Togo Street.

As the vehicle approached the east end of the parking area, it jumped a small landscaping curb and came to a stop. The driver, described only as a male adult wearing a tan coat, exited the vehicle and ran west on Togo Street. The passenger, described by Sheriff’s officials as a male adult wearing a gray sweatshirt, exited the passenger side and “fired several shots in the direction of the pursuing deputy who had pulled in behind the suspect’s car.”

The passenger then ran east on Togo Street armed with an unknown type of handgun.

The deputy was not injured in the incident and stood by for additional units before searching the area for the subjects.

Additional units from the Sheriff’s Office and the EPD responded to assist in the search. “No suspects have been located at this time,” the release stated. Investigators and evidence technicians from the Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and are conducting a full investigation at this time.

Anyone with information about the vehicle or suspects are urged to phone Humboldt County Sheriff Detective Sgt. Wayne Hanson at 707-445-7301.

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