Driver Who Shot CHP Officer Eludes Capture

A motorist who shot a California Highway Patrol officer eluded a law enforcement manhunt for the second day Thursday, even as hundreds of police officers throughout Southern California were on the lookout for his red Toyota pickup.

Police agencies from Orange County to the Mexican border stopped dozens of red Toyota trucks that matched the gunman’s vehicle, which was pulled over Wednesday morning by CHP Officer Gary L. Burnett for speeding on southbound Interstate 5 in San Clemente.

The gunman fired twice at Burnett with a large-caliber weapon, hitting him in the right arm and chest. One bullet was stopped by Burnett’s armored vest, but the other tore through the officer’s upper right arm, officials said. The suspect then drove away in the red truck.

“We’ve stopped about four trucks just this morning. Like everyone else, our officers are on the lookout,” said Anaheim Police Sgt. Joe Vargas.

On Thursday, doctors operated a second time on Burnett’s arm. At a news conference Wednesday, doctors said the officer would require at least one more operation on the arm and extensive rehabilitation. One doctor said he expected Burnett to be off work for several weeks.

Thursday was Burnett’s 39th birthday, and fellow officers honored him with a birthday cake in the morning at San Clemente Hospital & Medical Center, before his afternoon surgery.