CHP Officer Fires on Vehicle; 2 Men Are Injured

Two men were injured Wednesday after a California Highway Patrol officer opened fire on a sport utility vehicle whose driver apparently tried to back over the officer during a traffic stop in Long Beach, authorities said.

The incident began about 4:50 p.m. when Officer Lance Wells, 35, stopped the truck for driving in excess of 90 mph on the San Diego Freeway, Sgt. Ernest Garcia said. After the truck had come to a stop on the freeway shoulder near Lakewood Boulevard, Wells pulled up behind the vehicle on his motorcycle and the driver then put the truck into reverse and twice attempted to run over the officer, Garcia said.

Wells opened fire, striking the vehicle several times, authorities said. One suspect, a 17-year-old whose identity was not released because he is a minor, jumped out of the truck and was later captured in the bushes nearby. He was not seriously injured, authorities said. The two others sped off in the vehicle, driving south to Los Alamitos, where they eventually turned themselves in, authorities said.

One of the two adult suspects, Arturo Medino, 23, of Bellflower, was shot in the face and was in guarded condition at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, authorities said. The other, Omar Mata, 23, of Artesia, was treated for dog bites at a hospital. All three suspects were in custody.

The incident tied up rush-hour traffic on the southbound lanes of the San Diego Freeway for several hours.