Man Injured by Deputies After Pursuit

A man who fled from narcotics deputies after they tried to serve a warrant was shot and wounded Tuesday night after a pursuit on a San Fernando Valley freeway, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s spokesman said.

No deputies or civilians were hurt in the shooting that took place shortly before 8 p.m. near the eastbound Ventura Freeway near Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Cannon said.

The wounded man, whose identity was not made public, was treated at a local hospital for wounds that Cannon described as “not life-threatening.”

The incident occurred as narcotics deputies from the sheriff’s West Hollywood station were preparing to serve a warrant. “He left the location in a car, and deputies attempted to stop him in a black-and-white,” Cannon said.

“There was a short vehicle pursuit, followed by a short foot pursuit, at the end of which a shooting occurred.”

Cannon said he did not know what provoked deputies to open fire. The Sheriff’s Department was investigating the circumstances, he said.

The California Highway Patrol stopped traffic on all eastbound lanes of the freeway at Coldwater Canyon Boulevard, a CHP spokeswoman said, the second consecutive night that criminal activity caused the closure of at least part of the freeway.

The CHP shut down two lanes of the westbound freeway at Tampa Avenue on Monday as the Los Angeles Police Department searched for two gunmen who fled on foot after smashing a stolen Bentley into a power pole in Encino, seriously injuring a hostage.