Burglary Suspect Shot After Taking Patrol Car

A burglary suspect was shot Wednesday after she slipped out of her handcuffs and drove off in a Long Beach police car, running over an officer’s foot.

The suspect, who was shot in the leg by the officer, was captured a few blocks away after she dragged herself out of the car and asked a bicyclist for a ride.

The incident began about 9:30 a.m. when officer Jay Fogg, responding to a burglary call, saw the suspect walking into a home, handcuffed her and placed her in the front seat of his patrol car, said Long Beach Detective George Fox. By the time Fogg returned from talking to the occupant of the house, the woman was driving away, Fox said.

Fogg was treated for a dislocated ankle at Pacific Hospital of Long Beach. The suspect, identified by officials at St. Mary Medical Center as Betty Ortega, 49, was in serious condition following surgery. Police said she will be booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and burglary.