Man records video of deputy-involved shootout in Apple Valley

A man in Apple Valley used a cellphone Wednesday to record dramatic video footage of a shootout between law enforcement and a homicide suspect, who was struck and pronounced dead at the scene.

Apple Valley resident Chris Miller was stopped at an intersection of Bear Valley and Central roads in his car with his wife and child at about 5 p.m. when the suspect got out of his Nissan Titan and almost immediately started exchanging gunfire with sheriff’s deputies.

“We started to hear multiple gunshots and rapid fire,” Miller told the Victorville Daily Press. “Then I realized across the street from the recycling center, in the dirt, at the bus stop, is a man. We watched the guy hit the ground from being shot at. You can see the bullets ricocheting through the desert.”

Miller’s video shows officers firing dozens of rounds at the suspect. Several other vehicles can be seen nearby.

“There was nothing stopping anybody from driving through the gunfire,” Miller said. “It was a completely out-of-control sting operation. Actual marked police cars didn’t show up until they had this guy on his stomach.”

The male suspect was struck and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which is investigating the incident along with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“It appears that there were uninvolved vehicles, which is not uncommon,” said Cindy Bachman, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The suspect’s identity was not immediately released, nor was any information on the original homicide investigation.

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