Armed Driver Killed by Police

A stranded motorist along Interstate 5 shot a tow truck driver who stopped to help him, then fired at a Marine from nearby Camp Pendleton, and finally was shot to death by police as he attempted to escape into bushes on the base, officials said Wednesday.

The bizarre incident north of Oceanside closed the freeway for an hour, backing up early morning southbound traffic for at least 10 miles, according to the California Highway Patrol.

FBI spokeswoman Jan Caldwell said investigators have yet to determine a motive for the shooting. “There was no altercation,” Caldwell said.

The county medical examiner identified the dead man as Henry Ricardo Enciso Jr., 26, of Duarte.

The incident began about 7:30 a.m. when a driver from a tow truck company in San Marcos, under contract to the CHP, stopped along the shoulder of the freeway to help a motorist in an older-model Cadillac, Caldwell said. The Cadillac driver shot the tow truck driver several times as he approached the car, she said.

A Marine lance corporal attending a training session at a base chapel near the freeway heard the shots and ran to aid the downed tow truck driver. The Cadillac driver fired several times at the Marine, who ran toward the tow truck driver, picked him up and carried him to safety.

“He was very courageous, the epitome of a Marine,” said Caldwell. “He showed no concern for his own safety, only for helping the wounded man.”

Police from the Oceanside and El Cajon police departments were on the base for a training session and responded to the call. Along with military police, they confronted the suspect along a road in the Santa Margarita River section of the base.

Whether the fatal shot was fired by police or military officers has not been determined, Caldwell said.

The tow truck driver, identified as Brian Naylor, 23, was taken by helicopter to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. He was listed in fair condition after surgery for wounds to his abdomen and buttocks from three or more bullets, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The Cadillac is registered to a Norwalk woman who said an ex-boyfriend was driving it.

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Times staff writer Don Bartletti contributed to this story.