Suspected carjacker dies after deputy-involved shooting in Poway

A man who stole a deputy’s patrol car and carjacked an SUV in Poway early Thursday died after deputies shot at him and he crashed into a ravine, a sheriff’s official said.

A total of four deputies fired at the man at two locations along Poway Road. The deputies were not injured.

Sheriff’s homicide Lt. Kenn Nelson said he would wait for autopsy results before releasing whether the thief died from gunshot wounds, crash injuries or both. He also didn’t know if the suspect had fired at deputies.

It was unclear how many deputies fired at which location.

The events began about 4:50 a.m., when a witness called the Sheriff’s Department about a prowler using a flashlight to look into vehicles at George and Kat’s Auto Service on Poway Road near Adah Lane, Nelson said. Deputies got there within two minutes and moments later reported shots had been fired.

The car-prowling suspect, between 25 and 35 years old, then jumped into a deputy’s patrol car and sped off, Nelson said. Although he didn’t know if the patrol car had been left running, the lieutenant said deputies routinely leave their vehicles on because of all the electronics they rely on inside.

Deputies in another patrol car pursued him east on Poway Road to within a short distance of Espola Road. There the thief stopped, got out and carjacked a man in a nearby black SUV, Nelson said.

Deputies soon caught up to the SUV and opened fire. The driver then veered into a brushy ravine about 100 yards away from the Espola and Poway roads intersection.

Deputies found the man dead behind the steering wheel. Knives, a hatchet and loose handgun ammunition were also found in the SUV, but Nelson didn’t not know if the weapons belonged to the carjacker or the stolen vehicle’s owner.

The owner told deputies the man had a handgun, and deputies later found it, Nelson said.

Nelson did not say why the deputies at each location fired at the man. He said they were not wearing body cameras.

Nelson said investigators hadn’t yet examined another SUV riddled with bullet holes in the parking lot near George and Kat’s Auto Service and Poway Transmissions. They hadn’t determined who the vehicle belongs to or how the suspect initially arrived at the auto shop.

Poway Road, which was lined with patrol cars well into the morning, is closed at Espola. Nelson said it likely would be until the evening commute.

Poway Mayor Steve Vaus drove to the taped-off streets later in the morning to view where the final shooting took place. He said the city’s public safety director heard the incident over a police scanner and called him about 5 a.m. with the news.

“I’m just glad none of our guys were injured,” Vaus said of the deputies.

Authorities asked parents not to drop off children and school buses to avoid Garden Road Elementary School after morning road closures in the area were put in place. Christine Paik, a spokeswoman for Poway Unified School District, said only students who made it to the campus before streets were closed attended classes.

“For the students who are currently on campus, they will be fed and supervised by Garden Road staff until their regular pickup,” read a letter sent to parents from district officials. “They are safe and in no danger.”

If parents wish to pick up their children, they can use an emergency access road off Sycamore Canyon Road near Scripps Poway Parkway to get to the campus. Parents will be informed of a different route to use once school ends, Paik said.

Repard and Winkley write for the San Diego Union-Tribune