Richmond Officer Fires On Man Who Allegedly Rammed Patrol Car
RICHMOND (CBS SF) - A Vallejo man was arrested after he allegedly rammed his car into a Richmond police patrol car, which prompted an officer to fire his service weapon Sunday afternoon, a Richmond police sergeant said.
Around 5:15 p.m. an officer attempted to stop a car for a traffic violation near South 55th Avenue and Santa Clara Avenue, Richmond police Sgt. Nicole Abetkov said.
The car's driver, identified later as Rafael Ortega, 23, allegedly refused to stop, Abetkov said.
Near that intersection he allegedly turned his vehicle around and drove into the officer head on. The officer was in a marked patrol vehicle.
Ortega then backed up and appeared to be preparing to ram into the officer a second time, Abetkov said.
That is when the officer feared for his life and fired his gun into the car, Abetkov said.
The suspect was not hit and stopped driving. He was taken into custody, Abetkov said.
The rammed police car sustained moderate damage, she said.
The officer was not injured in the incident.
The shooting is being investigated by Richmond police and the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office.
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