A patrol officer pulled the driver over at Villa and Wild Cherry in downtown, while working an overtime DUI shift.
“Within seconds of stopping the car and getting out of his patrol vehicle, the driver of that car opened-fire on him,” explains Katie Nelson, a spokesperson for the Mountain View Police Department.
The officer, who is a 5-year veteran of the department, took a bullet to the upper body. He was treated at the hospital and released. Nelson says the officer did not return fire.
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“I don’t think any officers expect or want to encounter something like what our officer did last night,” says Nelson.
After shooting the officer, the suspect drove off. He crashed his SUV into a car parked few blocks away at Villa Street and Hidden Avenue. He then fled on foot.
“The cops told us don’t come out. So we stayed inside,” says the father of the woman whose car was hit.
Many of the residents didn’t want to give their name, fearing possible retaliation.
He says investigators were on scene for almost seven hours.
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“(There were) five or seven police cars around,” explains a young mother of two, who lives across the street from the crash. “(Police) were just looking for someone and carrying big guns.”
Nelson says they have a possible lead on a suspect but won’t give any description at this time.
She says the department is thankful that the officer wasn’t seriously injured, and that others weren’t hurt.
“People are always downtown. Who knows what could have happened if the suspect had continued to open fire., potentially who else they may have hit,” says Nelson.
“We are just grateful that this didn’t turn into something incredibly tragic.
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