Citrus Heights police shoot knife-wielding chase suspect in Arden Arcade area
Citrus Heights police shot and hospitalized an armed driver in Arden Arcade Thursday after a vehicle chase ended with the suspect charging officers with a knife.
Two Citrus Heights police officers wounded a knife-wielding man Thursday in the Arden Arcade area following a vehicle pursuit. The wounded driver was hospitalized in stable condition after the midday confrontation, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said.
Just before noon, dispatchers told sheriff’s officials that a California Highway Patrol officer held a suspect at gunpoint. A deputy saw the pursuit moving eastbound on Business 80 near El Camino Avenue. Two CHP vehicles and one city patrol car chased the truck.
The deputy did not participate in the pursuit. It continued onto southbound Fulton Avenue, the sheriff’s office said. Two city officers had been returning from the county jail downtown.
They saw the CHP chasing the truck along eastbound Interstate 80. The city officers joined the chase, the Citrus Heights Police Department said. The truck driver eventually exited the freeway.
He stopped the vehicle on Fulton Avenue just north of Michelle Drive. The driver got out holding a knife, sheriff’s officials stated. He paced back and forth in front of his truck.
Officers repeatedly ordered him to drop the knife. A deputy arrived with a less-lethal shotgun. Officers deployed a Taser. It failed to work.
The man charged toward officers with the knife. The deputy fired one less-lethal round into the man’s chest. The man kept advancing, the sheriff’s office said.
Two city officers then opened fire. Their bullets struck the charging man. He fell to the ground. Officers gave him medical aid immediately.
Fire personnel took the wounded man to a local hospital. Officials said his knife was recovered at the scene. No officers suffered injuries.
No deputies or highway patrol officers fired their duty handguns. The sheriff’s homicide bureau will lead the ongoing shooting investigation. The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office will also conduct an independent review.
Independent shooting reviews examine whether law enforcement actions comply with state laws and agency guidelines. Arden Arcade is an unincorporated community located in Sacramento County. Investigative teams evaluate physical evidence and witness statements during these standard reviews.
Investigators have not released the identity of the wounded driver.
