A high-speed motorcycle chase ended in a horrifying caught-on-video wipeout on a Los Angeles freeway after an armed man who was allegedly threatening a woman shot and killed a responding officer Monday.
The rider sped past traffic on the 210 Freeway at speeds up to 170 mph before slamming into an oncoming car, wild aerial footage from FOX 11 showed.
A motorcycle chase on Monday ended with a horrifying wipe out on the Los Angeles freeway. FOX
The rider went flying off the bike. FOX
Sheriff’s deputies were responding to a domestic violence report of an armed Hispanic man threatening a woman in the suburb of Rancho Cucamonga when the suspect began shooting at the officers, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
“One deputy was struck and was airlifted to a hospital. The suspect fled the location on a motorcycle and was pursued along the eastbound 210-freeway,” it added.
The perp — whom initial reports said robbed a shopping mall — wove through afternoon traffic before taking his hands off the handlebars to adjust a backpack, the video shows.
That’s when he slammed into the back of a sedan — sending the suspect cartwheeling through the air and skidding onto his back before the bike rolled over him, a wheel seeming to miss his head by inches, the harrowing footage shows.
The car that clipped the motorcycle was being driven by an off-duty narcotics officer conducting a “legal intervention,” the sheriff’s department later clarified.
The footage seemed to show a gun lying nearby on the asphalt.
First responders were quickly on the scene on Monday. KNBC
Officers swarmed the dazed suspect and administered first aid, including putting him in a neck brace. After several minutes, he appeared to sit up and cooperate with officers.
Aerial footage near the scene of the initial shootout showed a patrol vehicle’s window shattered and a bloody police vest on the ground, according to FOX 11.
The wounded deputy, later identified as San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Nunez, died in the shooting, the office posted in an update Monday evening.
He was struck by a bullet once in the head and was rushed to the hospital before being pronounced dead around 1 p.m., NBC4 reported.
Nunez leaves behind his wife, who was pregnant with their second child, a 2-year-old daughter, his mother and four brothers and sisters, Sheriff Shannon Dicus announced in a press conference on Monday.
“We’re embedded in sorrow,” Dicus told reporters.
Nunez was a six-year veteran with the department, the sheriff added.
“Deputy Nunez served with unwavering commitment, courage, and deep compassion for the community he vowed to protect,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
“His bravery and sacrifice reflect a life dedicated to safeguarding others, even at the greatest cost. Such devotion will remain forever etched in our hearts,” cops wrote.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said his office intends to look into charging the suspect with the murder of a peace officer.
The suspect is in stable condition in an area hospital, DIcus said.
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing. Officers were waiting to interview the suspect as of Monday afternoon.