About 6 P.M. Friday evening, an all units broadcast went out for a BOLO (Be On the Look Out) for a vehicle that was carjacked at gunpoint in Rancho Cordova. The vehicle was described as 2019, black, Ford Explorer, according to radio traffic. A subsequent broadcast advised units that an item in the vehicle was trackable and was being tracked in the area of Eastern Avenue and Arden Way.
As deputies continued to track the vehicle to an apartment complex near El Camino Ave and Walnut Ave., the man ran down the street near the Mountain Mikes Pizza where he attempted to carjack a second vehicle.
At about 6:40 P.M. a shots fired broadcast went on the Sheriff’s channels.
A PSN viewer told us she was in the car directly behind the car the suspect attempted to carjack while fleeing deputies. “It is scary to think if we were just four seconds earlier to that intersection we would of been carjacked,” she said. “It was a full-on gun battle… ‘most terrified I have ever been,” she said.
Another bystander was driving by, his son tells us, when a stray bullet struck the top frame of his driver’s side window, shattering glass and debris in the side of his face and head. “He was driving on walnut and saw the cops so he turned and went to the [Mountain Mikes’] parking lot and the guy went to the same spot so they started shooting and they shot him [suspect]. He [the dad] ducked and drove off to the liquor store and parked there [across the street].”
The suspect was transported to the hospital via paramedic ambulance in critical but stable condition according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
THE FOLLOWING IS A DIRECT REPOST FROM THE SACRAMENTO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE MEDIA RELEASE
ARMED CARJACK SUSPECT AND OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING INVESTIGATION
The following information is based on a preliminary and ongoing investigation, which continues to evolve as investigators interview witnesses, review physical and electronic records, and analyze forensic evidence. The Sheriff’s Office understanding of the facts and circumstances may change as additional evidence is collected and analyzed.
On December 24, 2021, at 6:00 P.M., the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received a call from an adult male subject who stated they were the victim of carjacking while leaving work at the 9800 block of Business Park Drive in the City of Rancho Cordova. The caller stated that an armed suspect pointed a gun at him and demanded the keys to his vehicle. The suspect then fled the scene leaving the victim in the parking lot. Rancho Cordova Police Officers responded to the victim’s location and were able to track the late model Ford Explorer through GPS to the intersection of Walnut Avenue and El Camino Avenue.
Sheriff’s Deputies responded to an apartment complex on the 5100 block of El Camino Avenue and quickly located the unoccupied Ford Explorer in the parking lot. As deputies began to set up a perimeter around the complex, an adult male subject appeared to run from the complex and shot multiple rounds at deputies. Deputies returned fire as the suspect ran westbound of El Camino.
The suspect continued firing rounds as he approached another occupied vehicle and attempted to carjack it in the parking lot of a business located on the 5000 block of El Camino Avenue. The Suspect was hit at least one time with gunfire from responding deputies.
Deputies rendered aid to the suspect until Metro Fire arrived and transported him to a local area hospital where he is listed in critical but stable condition. Upon release from the hospital, the suspect, who is well known to local area and state law enforcement, will be booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail for numerous felony charges. No deputies or civilians sustained any injuries as a result of this incident.
The investigation into the incident will be conducted by the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau and Professional Standards Division, which is standard practice for any officer-involved shooting that occurs in the Sheriff’s Office’s jurisdiction. Independent review of the officer-involved shooting will be conducted by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and the Inspector General. In accordance with the Sheriff’s Office’s policies and procedures, the deputies involved in the shooting will be placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation.
The initial carjacking which produced this response, occurred in the City of Rancho Cordova within the County of Sacramento. The officer involved shooting incident occurred within the County of Sacramento, therefore this investigation will be handled by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspect has been tentatively identified as a 44-year-old male from Sacramento County. His name will be released upon confirmation of his identity and booking into the Sacramento County Main Jail.
Detectives are asking anyone with information relating to this incident, to please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (916) 874-5115 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at (916) 443-HELP. Tip information may also be left anonymously at www.sacsheriff.com or by calling (916) 874-TIPS (8477).
