Officer Shoots Violent Driver

A motorist who was stopped Sunday for tailgating on California 1 allegedly beat the California Highway Patrol officer who pulled him over and then was shot several times as the officer defended himself, authorities said.

The unidentified driver was flown to a trauma center in San Jose with gunshot wounds to the upper body, while the officer was reported to be in stable condition at a local hospital with head injuries, said CHP Officer Jason Butler.

Investigators don’t know what motivated the suspect to get out of his car and start striking the officer about the head with an undetermined blunt-force object, Butler said.

“At this point, it doesn’t appear he had any warrants. The vehicle wasn’t stolen,” Butler said. “The individual just became enraged when he was informed that he would be issued a traffic citation for following too closely.”

Neither the officer nor the driver has been publicly identified.

Witnesses told authorities that another motorist stopped on the center median may have videotaped the altercation. The California Highway Patrol wants to obtain the recording to help in its investigation.