San Diego

In the latest incident of violence along the U.S.-Mexico border, two San Diego police officers attached to a special border unit opened fire late Tuesday on two suspects--hitting one man four times--after the victim and a male companion allegedly threatened the officers, police said.

The unidentified victim is under guard at UC San Diego Medical Center, where he was listed in serious condition late Wednesday with two bullet wounds in the stomach and wounds in the left arm and shoulder, according to police and a hospital spokeswoman. The victim’s companion, who may also have been wounded, escaped, police said.

According to police, the incident began about 10:50 p.m. Tuesday when the two men approached Officers Manuel Garcia and Ann Tyler, who were on duty in the border area just east of the international crossing at San Ysidro.

The officers, both members of the Border Crime Prevention Unit, were posted there in civilian clothes to “monitor illegal activity,” San Diego police spokesman Juan Gonzales said. The special unit, which consists of six members of the San Diego Police Department and six Border Patrol officers, is designed to cut down on the violent crime that has plagued the border area, where hundreds of illegal aliens make clandestine crossings each night.

San Diego police provided the following chronology:

When the two suspects reached within eight feet of the officers, one of the pair demanded money after placing his hand in his pocket in a manner that led officers to believe that he had a gun. The officers then identified themselves as police officers.

Nonetheless, police said, the second man lunged toward Garcia with a knife, prompting Garcia to fire two shots at him and Tyler to fire once. Garcia then emptied his handgun at the first man, police said.

Both men ran west, police said, but the wounded man who is now in custody fell after about 100 feet. He will be charged with assaulting police officers, police said. The second man fled into Mexico.

As is standard, San Diego homicide detectives are investigating the shooting. The two officers will be placed on administrative leave during the investigation.