High-Speed Chase, Shooting Follow Traffic Stop

A routine traffic stop Thursday turned into a 15-minute, high-speed chase that ended with a Santa Ana officer shooting a suspect in the arm and leg, police said.

The chase began at 10:48 a.m. at the intersection of Newhope Street and Edinger Avenue. As the officer prepared a citation, he learned by radio that warrants had been issued for the arrest of the driver, Richard James Cappellia, on charges of armed robbery, possession of stolen property and petty theft.

When the officer attempted to place Cappellia under arrest, the suspect and his passenger sped off and a chase ensued, Santa Ana police said.

Fountain Valley police and California Highway Patrol officers joined the pursuit as it proceeded north on the San Diego Freeway to the Garden Grove Freeway at speeds of up to 100 m.p.h., Santa Ana Police Sgt. Rick Hicks said.

The driver lost control of the car near Valley View Street, and the vehicle went down an embankment and landed in a drainage ditch, he said.

Police arrested the passenger at the scene of the crash, but Cappellia fled on foot into a wooded area between the San Diego and Garden Grove freeways, Hicks said.

“The Santa Ana officer chased (the driver) on foot and when (the driver) crouched, turned to face the officer and reached toward his waistband, the officer fired three rounds at the suspect, who then fled into the wooded area,” Hicks said.

Police searched the area and found the injured Cappellia, who was taken into custody without incident. He had suffered a gunshot wound to his left arm and another to his right ankle.

Cappellia, 34, of Huntington Beach, was arrested on the outstanding warrants as well as suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle and resisting arrest.

The car, a white Toyota, was discovered to be stolen from Lake Elsinore, Hicks said.

Cappellia was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he remained in police custody Thursday.

The passenger, who was not injured, was later cleared of stolen vehicle charges and released from police custody, Hicks said.

Police did not recover a weapon on Cappellia and continued to search the wooded area for a weapon Thursday evening.

As with most officer-involved shootings, the Orange County district attorney’s office also is investigating the incident, Hicks said.