LA PRESA (CNS) - A California Highway Patrol officer shot and wounded a parolee who allegedly pulled a gun on him Tuesday while fleeing through an East County neighborhood.
The events that led to the gunfire began about 11:30 a.m., when the lawman tried to pull over a Chevrolet Impala in the La Presa area because the car lacked a front license plate, sheriff's Lt. Glenn Giannantonio told reporters.
The driver -- later identified as 28-year-old Arturo Serrato of Chula Vista -- refused to yield, leading the officer on a brief pursuit that ended on Sacramento Avenue near Jamacha Boulevard, the lieutenant said.
There, the fleeing man jumped out of the still-moving sedan with a pistol in his hand, and the patrolman got out of his cruiser to give chase, according to Giannantonio. Serrato then turned toward at the officer, prompting him to open fire out of concern for his own safety and that of others in the area, the lieutenant said.
The wounded suspect ran up to a nearby home and jumped through a closed window, crashing inside through the breaking glass.
"The officer then took a position of cover and radioed for assistance," Giannantonio said.
Deputies and CHP personnel surrounded the house, and Serrato soon surrendered along with another man and a woman wanted on outstanding warrants, the lieutenant told news crews.
Medics took Serrato to a hospital for treatment of an apparently non-life-threatening bullet wound to his left shoulder. No other injuries were reported.
Serrato was believed to be under the influence of methamphetamine during the pursuit, the lieutenant told reporters.
Several schools in the immediate area were put on lockdown into the early afternoon due to the incident.
