Suspect killed, officer injured in shootout following pursuit through San Diego County

A suspect in a Vista, Calif., homicide was killed early Monday, and an Escondido police officer was injured in a shootout after a lengthy pursuit through northern San Diego County, officials said.

The man who was killed was believed to be a suspect in a fatal shooting at a Vista home Sunday afternoon, officials said. Escondido police said Roberto Salgado, 39, was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at a hospital after an hours-long pursuit.

The officer was shot in the left side of his chest and has been released from the hospital, authorities said.

Salgado was a suspect in the Sunday slaying of Florencio Rodriguez, 42, in Vista. Rodriguez was found shot in the driveway of his home around 5 p.m., where he was pronounced dead, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Authorities told law enforcement agencies to look for Salgado’s vehicle, a 2018 Chevy Silverado.

An Escondido police officer spotted the SUV around 11:15 p.m., but Salgado was driving and would not yield. A female passenger was with him.

The pursuit ended in Escondido around 3 a.m., police confirmed.

Oceanside spokesperson Jennifer Atenza said Oceanside police at one point put down a spike strip on State Route 78 to try to stop the suspect’s car. He drove over the strip but kept going, she said.

San Diego County sheriff’s deputies and Escondido police placed another spike strip at a different location, she said.

NBC 7 San Diego reported that the man’s car was shut down remotely by OnStar, an in-vehicle security system, before he engaged in a shootout with police. Authorities said the female passenger who was with Salgado was not injured.

Atenza said police brought an armored vehicle called a Bearcat to assist with the police stop, and the vehicle “took several rounds.”

“This was a suspect who had zero regard for any human life whatsoever,” she said, noting there was an apartment complex near where the man’s vehicle finally came to a stop. “When you have a suspect firing indiscriminately, the worse fear is [he] is going to hit innocent bystanders.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.