Officers open fire on driver of stolen sheriff’s SUV after he rams police vehicle

Police officers shot at the driver of stolen Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department SUV on Tuesday morning after the driver stopped and rammed into a police vehicle that was pursuingit.

The pursuit began after deputies responded to a disturbance at the Olive View UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar early Tuesday morning. The deputies arrived to find a man “running around” the area and pursued him. At one point the man jumped into the sheriff’s cruiser and took off, said department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida.

Units from the Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol began pursuing the stolen vehicle through the San Fernando Valley about 6:45 a.m. Tuesday.

The driver of the stolen SUV weaved through early morning traffic around Granada Hills and Van Nuys with officers in pursuit. The SUV drove onto a sidewalk when traffic came to a standstill.

At one point, the driver of the stolen SUV stopped and reversed into a police vehicle behind it.

As the SUV hit the other police vehicle, an officer who was on foot fired shots into the cab of the stolen cruiser.

The pursuit ended about 7:15 a.m., shortly after the shots were fired, when the driver of the stolen vehicle stopped for police and exited the vehicle wearing only shorts.

UPDATES:

8:30 a.m.: This article was updated with details on the theft of the sheriff’s vehicle.

8:15 a.m.: This article was updated with additional information provided by the Sheriff’s Department.

This article was originally published at 7:15 a.m.