Man Captures Pursuit Aftermath

La Quinta, CA

"Seeing him laying there and you know it took a minute to grasp the situation that a man was deceased there on the street," says Shea Bates adding he’s still shocked from witnessing the aftermath of a pursuit. It ended just feet from where he lives in La Quinta. 

"In a neighborhood like this, very, very quiet, you know that’s why it’s so much more surreal that you didn’t think anything literally happening in your back yard," says Bates. 

Earlier Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies tried to stop a man they say was driving a car he carjacked at gunpoint from two women in Jurupa. The nearly three hour high speed chase continued through the valley even after sheriff’s deployed a spike strip. Sheriff’s say SWAT deputies tried everything to get the man to surrender, from a K-9 to bean bags but he refused to comply. It ended right in front of Bates’ home on Jefferson Street and Avenue 52.

"They put the spike strips down this way and they followed him for quite a bit of time on four flat tires before they got him to this before they even got him to this point to where they shot him," says Bates. 

Bates captured the officers moving in to pick up the suspect’s body, he says they approached with caution, "I heard the officers then instructing him if he wanted medical attention to stand up and come toward their voice, he wasn’t responding whatsoever, he was probably already deceased."

He says he can’t believe no one else was hurt, "Shocking that’s a blessing in itself, that you know I mean any number of things could have gone wrong on the freeway on the sides streets all the way this far."

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department says the officer who shot the suspect has been placed on administrative leave. They say that’s standard procedure following shootings. The officer’s name or the suspect’s name have not been released.  Riverside County Sheriff Department is asking anyone with information about this incident to contact Central Homicide Investigator Alfaro at (760) 393-3528 or Investigator Burgie at (760) 863-8990.