Officer Shoots Man Suspected of Kidnaping, Car Theft

A man suspected of commandeering a woman’s car outside a restaurant was shot early Sunday after he lunged toward a Santa Ana police officer who had stopped the stolen car and demanded that the man surrender, authorities said.

James Clyde Fudge, 26, of Tustin, was listed in serious condition at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana after being shot in each shoulder by the officer about 2:50 a.m. Sunday, Santa Ana Police Sgt. Bob Clark said. Fudge was arrested on suspicion of kidnaping, robbery and vehicle theft, Clark said.

About 1 a.m., police said, Fudge allegedly commandeered a car driven by a woman who was leaving the Revere House restaurant at 900 W. 1st St. in Tustin.

Fudge dropped the woman off at 3rd Street and Myrtle Avenue in Tustin, but he took off with her car and purse, Clark said, adding that the woman suffered only minor injuries.

A Santa Ana officer on patrol near the 1600 block of East 1st Street spotted the car heading eastbound and followed it, catching up with it at 400 W. 1st Street in Tustin, Clark said.

The officer ordered the vehicle to pull over, and demanded that Fudge get out of the car. But even after repeated demands, he failed to do so, Clark said.

Finally, Fudge got out of the car, and “in a bent-over position, he charged at the officer,” Clark said.

The officer fired two rounds, hitting Fudge once in each shoulder, Clark said. The wounds “were not life-threatening,” he said.

Fudge then fled up a residential driveway. The officer found him hiding near a house in the 400 block of West 2nd Street, and he was arrested.

Tustin police are investigating the incident, and the Orange County district attorney’s office will look into the circumstances of the shooting, Clark said.

Clark said he had no information on whether Fudge was armed.