2 Car Theft Suspects Shot, Arrested by Fullerton Police

A police officer investigating reports of attempted car thefts in a parking garage Sunday shot and wounded two men, both of whom were arrested, police said.

Details of the incident were incomplete late Sunday night, but Fullerton Police Lt. Rex Strickland said that the suspects apparently tried to “run our officer down” shortly before 8:30 p.m. The officer was not injured, he said.

The officer fired his weapon, hitting both suspects, Strickland said.

The officer’s name was not immediately available, but he was described as a Fullerton Police Department canine officer, who had a police dog with him when the confrontation occurred, Strickland said.

Although the condition of the suspects was not immediately known, Strickland said the shooting resulted in only minor injuries. Both men were being treated late Sunday at St. Jude’s Hospital in Fullerton.

The identities of the suspects were not released. Police did not specify on what charges the men were being held.

The shooting occurred after the police officer responded to several calls about attempts to break into cars in the parking garage of The Wilshire Promenade, an apartment-retail shopping complex at 141 W. Wilshire Ave., Strickland said.