SAN CLEMENTE : Man Killed in Police Shootout Identified
A suspected drunken driver who was shot and killed after leading police on a chase along Ortega Highway has been identified as a German national who came to Orange County last year.
Sheriff’s officials identified the man Tuesday as Wolfgang Werner Bauer, 43.
Bauer reportedly arrived in the United States in January, 1991. He worked for a short time in the Westminster area, said Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Richard J. Olson.
Bauer moved to a motel in San Clemente, said San Clemente Sgt. Jim Thomas.
Bauer reportedly led San Clemente police on a chase April 1 for about eight miles along the Ortega Highway.
When Bauer stopped, investigators said, he fired at officers from inside the car, which was reported stolen from Westminster on March 3. At least one officer fired back, killing him.
A Sheriff’s Department investigation into the shooting is continuing, Olson said.
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