Police shoot driver of stolen delivery truck in San Gabriel

El Monte police officers shot and wounded a man who allegedly stole a delivery truck early Friday morning and was chased into San Gabriel.

A bloody sidewalk next to a delivery truck at San Marino Avenue and Leslie Drive marked the spot where the pursuit reached its conclusion about 4:40 a.m. after the driver hit a spike strip. As the driver backed up the truck toward officers, they opened fire, Sheriff’s Lt. John Corina said.

The suspect, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.

El Monte police began the pursuit shortly after reports that the delivery truck had been stolen after a delivery driver left the keys in the ignition while making a drop in El Monte. Officers spotted the truck on the westbound 10 Freeway and initiated a short pursuit that continued onto San Gabriel surface streets.

One of two suspects got out of the truck during a brief stop mid-pursuit and was taken into custody. The driver continued to flee in the midsize truck until he drove over the spike strip, authorities said.

Sheriff’s homicide detectives, who handle officer-involved shootings for El Monte, are still seeking to determine the number of shots fired and by how many officers.

A neighbor who spoke to KTLA described hearing the pursuit coming down the street, followed by gunfire.

“We heard sirens coming up, and then all of the sudden there was a burst of maybe six to eight shots, went silent and then another three to four shots after that,� Matt Jiggins said.

“You could hear the car chase coming down and that was about it,� he recalled. “My dog woke me up when the first shot went off, I was thinking it was fireworks.�

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