A San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy and suspect were wounded in an incident involving a brief pursuit and gunbattle in Hesperia Tuesday, authorities said.
The deputy underwent surgery and was in critical condition in intensive care following the shooting, and the suspect was hospitalized in unknown condition, the Sheriff's Department said.
Aerial video of the scene showed a portion of the parking lot for an AutoZone store at 18671 Bear Valley Road cordoned off for investigation.
Officials say they initially responded around 1 p.m. to a call of an unwanted person hanging around a nearby storage facility.
The man had left by the time deputies arrived, but his vehicle, an older model Ford Explorer, was seen parked at the strip mall that contains AutoZone, authorities said.
The deputy approached the vehicle to find the man inside, and some sort of confrontation took place, according to Cindy Bachman, a spokesperson for the department.
The man opened fire, wounding the deputy, and took off. But a good Samaritan saw what happened and picked up the deputy’s radio to call for help, Bachman said.
Other deputies who responded spotted the suspect and chased his SUV to the end of a dirt road.
“When he exited the vehicle, he immediately began shooting at the deputies,” Bachman said.
The suspect was also wounded in the shootout that ensued, but no additional deputies were struck, officials said.
The suspect is in custody, the department said.
No further details were available.