San Diego

Four men were arrested on suspicion of car theft after leading California Highway Patrol officers on a chase that ended with gunfire but no injuries.

The shots were fired by two CHP officers who believed that one of the men was armed and turning to confront the officers. He was not armed, it turned out, but was not struck by the gunfire, CHP dispatcher Elayne Schuller said.

The incident began about 3:30 a.m. Sunday when the U.S. Border Patrol reported that three women said their vehicle had been stolen near the U.S.-Mexico border at San Ysidro after a car with four men inside pulled up next to them. Two men--one with a gun--forced the women out of the car before driving away in it, the women reported.

Both vehicles were spotted by the CHP northbound on Interstate 5 in Chula Vista. The two-man CHP unit gave chase and, where the freeway splits into Interstate 15, the two cars being pursued went different ways, Schuller said.

The CHP unit followed the women’s car, which continued north on I-15 where it turns into 40th Street, Schuller said. There, they reversed direction. At the junction of I-15 and California 94, the suspects lost control of their car, which ran off the side of the freeway, she said. The men then fled on foot, Schuller said, with the two CHP officers giving chase.

When one of the officers was 15 to 20 feet behind one of the suspects, the suspect stopped and “whirled around and confronted the officer,” according to the CHP statement. “Being aware of the earlier report that the suspect was armed with a gun, and fearing for his life, the officer fired two shots from his .40-caliber weapon.”

His partner, hearing the gunfire, also fired his weapon at the suspect. Both officers missed but the suspect surrendered, as did the other suspect, who had hidden in a nearby trash container.

Two men in the other vehicle were apprehended without incident by other CHP officers, Schuller said.

She said the identities of the suspects were not known, and the two officers involved in the shooting--who also were not identified--were placed on administrative duties pending an investigation.