A suspect hospitalized after he was shot by San Francisco police tonight was trapped in a cul-de-sac and rammed an officer and two patrol cars as he attempted to escape, a police sergeant sad.
The suspect was awake when he was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive his injuries. The police officer struck by the car was evaluated by paramedics and appears to have suffered only minor injuries, Sgt. Michael Andraychak said.
The incident began just before 7 p.m. when four officers patrolling Bayview Housing Authority properties around Ingalls Street and Kiska Road spotted a vehicle that they recognized as fitting the description of one involved in a recent armed carjacking.
They attempted to stop the car, but it fled on Ingalls with police in pursuit. The driver then turned on to George Court, a cul-de-sac nearby, Andraychak said.
Trapped in the cul-de-sac, the officers got out of the car intending to order the suspect out and take him into custody. However, the suspect threw the car into reverse and drove backwards toward the officers.
The car struck a patrol car and one of the officers, knocking him to the ground. Two officers opened fire at the car, striking the driver.
The vehicle continued driving, striking another patrol car that was just arriving on the scene. The suspect then put the car into drive and attempted to turn around, but hit a two-story residential building instead.
The suspect, an 18-year-old man, was then taken into custody and given medical aid before he was transported to San Francisco General Hospital by paramedics. The officer hit by the car’s injuries appeared to be minor, Andraychak said.
There did not appear to be any major structural damage to the building, Andraychak said.
Investigators are looking into the possibility that the suspect or the vehicle were involved in a series of recent armed robberies reported in San Francisco, police said.
The incident is being investigated by San Francisco police’s homicide and internal affairs units as well as the district attorney’s office and the office of citizen complaints.
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