Officer Shoots, Injures 2 During Chase

An Orange police officer shot and wounded a man and a woman early Sunday morning in the midst of a pursuit through city streets that began in Orange and ended in Santa Ana, police said.

No officers were injured in the chase, during which a man driving a Chevrolet Lumina minivan tried twice to run down officers, said Santa Ana Police Sgt. Raul Luna.

The pursuit began about 4:30 a.m. when the Orange police officer tried to stop the van, which had no rear windows and a covered rear license plate, near La Veta Avenue and Bedford Road, Luna said. The van driver sped off, eventually entering Santa Ana, where Santa Ana police joined in, he said.

Near Santiago and Washington avenues, the driver stopped and “suddenly accelerated backwards” toward police cars, which backed up to avoid being hit, Luna said.

The van again raced away, but stopped near Washington and Main Street. An Orange police officer got out and took cover behind his door, Luna said. When the driver began backing toward him, the officer fired several shots. The driver again sped away, he said.

The pursuit continued through Santa Ana until the van driver finally stopped in front of a home in the 1300 block of West 9th Street and the van’s occupants were taken into custody, Luna said.

The van driver, Juan Contreras, 21, of Orange, was treated at UCI Medical Center in Orange for a gunshot wound to a shoulder. Police then booked him into the Santa Ana Detention Facility. A check revealed he was wanted on a warrant for allegedly driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He also was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon--in this case the van--on a police officer, and bail was set at $50,000, Luna said.

A passenger, Ynez Castro, 20, of Santa Ana, suffered a graze wound to the head, and a wound to the right hand and back. She was listed in serious but stable condition at the medical center.

A second passenger, Oscar Contreras, 19, of Orange, was not injured. No weapons were found in the van, police said.

The shooting will be investigated by the Orange County district attorney’s office, the Santa Ana police and the Orange County sheriff’s forensic science section, Luna said.