Suspect arrested after officer-involved shooting in Laguna Beach; no injuries reported

A report of a stolen vehicle led to an officer-involved shooting Sunday evening in Laguna Beach, but no injuries were reported.

Laguna Beach police began pursuing a silver Toyota Corolla near South Coast Highway and Thalia Street at 4:51 p.m. The vehicle had been reported stolen from Palm Springs the day before, said Sgt. Jim Cota.

Officers followed the vehicle as it turned right onto Thalia Street, which dead ends near the beach. Police had stopped their patrol cars near the street’s exit in an attempt to keep the driver from evading officers, Cota said.

The driver made a u-turn at the dead end and a woman, who was a passenger in the car, jumped from the vehicle.

The woman, who was not identified by name, told officers that she jumped from the car because she “didn’t want any part of what was happening,” Cota said.

The driver continued to drive up Thalia Street, apparently angling toward an officer who was standing outside the patrol vehicle, according to police. The officer shot at the car, but did not strike the man, Cota said.

The driver crossed the highway and continued up Thalia Street. He abandoned the vehicle in a driveway in the 600 block of Cuprien Way and ran through the neighborhood, jumping over fences to escape police, Cota said.

Officers caught him in the 600 block of Glomstad Street.

Richard Lewis, 54, of Redlands was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft. He also is a parolee who had an outstanding warrant for a parole violation, Cota said.

Lewis is being held in Orange County Jail without bail. He is expected to appear in court Wednesday, according to jail records.

The southbound side of Coast Highway was closed for a few hours as police investigated, but reopened about 8 p.m. Sunday.

Nisha Gutierrez-Jaime of KTLA contributed to this report.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN

UPDATES:

3:25 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information.

This article was originally published at 9:05 a.m.