Stolen Bumper May Be Lead to CHP Gunman

A chrome rear bumper was stolen from a Toyota truck parked at Dana Point Harbor, and authorities said Friday it fits the getaway truck used by a gunman who shot a CHP officer.

Patrolman Gary L. Burnett was shot twice Wednesday and is recovering at a hospital. The shooter, who had been stopped for speeding on southbound Interstate 5 in San Clemente, was driving a red Toyota Tacoma pickup minus a rear bumper and license plate.

The missing bumper and tinted rear window were key features of what is probably the most sought-after vehicle in Southern California. Dozens of drivers in red Toyota trucks have been stopped by police agencies throughout the Southland since the morning of the shooting, but the bumper is among the best leads investigators have received in three days of searching.

Orange County sheriff’s spokesman Tom Amormino said the bumper was taken from a white 1998 Toyota truck along with the plate, 5U12595.

Tom Nulty, owner of the white truck, said the bumper was removed between 4 p.m. Thursday and 7:30 a.m. Friday. He lives on a boat at the harbor and parks his truck in an adjoining lot.

“When I was leaving for work [Friday] morning, I noticed the bumper was gone. I had to wait until I got off work at 12:30 p.m. to report it missing,” said Nulty, a salesman in Dana Point.

He said he didn’t recognize the significance of the theft until a sheriff’s deputy came to take a report.

“I knew that the CHP officer had been shot, and the guy who shot him was driving a red Toyota truck with no rear bumper. But it wasn’t until the [deputy] came out and said that the shooter was driving the same type of truck that everything clicked,” Nulty said.

On Friday, Nulty went to the DMV and got new plates.

“I didn’t want to take any chances that while driving to work a SWAT team would stop and throw me to the ground. I went to the DMV, gave them $8 and got new plates,” he said.

The bumper can be easily removed by loosening four bolts, said Nulty.

Authorities downplayed the significance of the missing bumper in their search for the gunman and the red Toyota truck they’re seeking.

“This is one of at least 100 tips that we’ve gotten from citizens,” said Amormino. “Each one is being followed, including this one.”

CHP spokeswoman Joan Rivas said Burnett was recovering Friday from a second operation on his right arm, which was shattered by a bullet. The second round hit the officer in the chest and was stopped by his armored vest.

The shooting occurred at 6 a.m. Wednesday during rush hour, but the gunman, described as a white male, has managed to elude a police dragnet stretched tight throughout Southern California. Though bleeding profusely, Burnett radioed in a description of the truck and gunman before driving five miles to a San Clemente hospital, where he remains.

Rivas said people are still sending flowers and well wishes to Burnett. Among the gifts was a Lotto scratcher that proved to be a winner, she said.

“It was only a $2 winner but it lifted his spirits. He’s asked us to thank the community for everything they’ve done for him and his family,” said Rivas.