Driver of stolen big rig flees after ramming police vehicle, drawing gunfire in Riverside
The driver of a stolen big rig led police on a chase from Ontario to Riverside on Monday morning, rammed into a police vehicle and was shot at by officers before fleeing on foot, according to the Ontario Police Department.
Officers tried to make a traffic stop on the semi-truck shortly after midnight in the area of Archibald Avenue and Mission Boulevard in Ontario, according to Ontario Police Officer Ermes Maqueira. The big rig had been stolen in San Bernardino a few weeks prior and officers attempted to stop the vehicle for not having license plates.
The driver led officers on a chase to the eastbound 60 Freeway and exited at Market Street in Riverside, according to Maqueira.
Orange County authorities are searching for a driver who struck and injured a teenager before fleeing during an illegal street takeover in Tustin.
The suspect stopped the big rig on a dirt shoulder, put it into reverse and rammed into one of the police vehicles, disabling it, Maqueira said. Officers fired at the man as he fled on foot into thick brush in the area of the Santa Ana River bottom. No officers were injured and there was no indication the suspect had been shot.
The Riverside Police Department assisted the Ontario Police Department with their search, bringing in helicopters and a bloodhound, but weren’t able to find the man. Nearby hospitals have been notified to alert police if anyone comes in with gunshot wounds. Police are still working to identify the suspect, canvass the location and find any video surveillance footage.
Police don’t have any information on whether the suspect was armed. The search was concluded just past 7 a.m. The Riverside Police Department is conducting the shooting investigation.
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