Officer Involved Shooting in Atwater Leaves Suspect Dead

A man is dead in an officer involved shooting in Atwater after police say the man rushed at them with a knife, according to Lt. Sammy Joseph with the Atwater Police Department.

The suspect died on scene. He has not been identified.

It happened around 2:19 p.m. Monday after a vehicle pursuit ended on Green Sands Avenue near Augusta Lane in Atwater.

Police say it all began when a witness called police to tell them that the victim, an unidentified woman, told her she was being held against her will. It happened just before noon at a store on the 1800 block of Atwater Blvd.

According to police, the victim contacted the witness as the suspect was inside the store. After the witness called police, she turned around to see the woman inside the suspect’s car leaving the store.

Police say the victim’s brother then called police saying he saw a man driving with his sister inside the car, and it appeared she was pleading for help.

Police located the driver in the area of Elm and First. Police say the suspect wouldn’t pull over, even after police laid spike strips in the road.

The pursuit lasted about 30 minutes, going in and out of Atwater. It ended when police say the suspect hit a curb and his tire went flat on Green Sands Avenue.

"He tried to flee the scene on foot to hop over the wall with a knife in his hand, could not get over the wall, which time he fled. The officer told him to stop. He turned around, made an approach toward the officers with his knife. A taser was deployed, the taser was ineffective, which time he continued to come at the officers, at which time the officer shot the suspect," Joseph said.

Several people witnessed the shooting.

"He tried to hop this wall fence that’s right here. He tried to hop the fence, and he couldn’t get over," said Edward Kemp, an eyewitness. "He couldn’t get over so he turned around, and he started running like towards us. So we kind of like leaned down, but we’re still watching. And he got tased, and you see him toss the tasers off of him."

Joseph said when the suspect exited the car, he was bloody from what the victim told police were self-inflicted wounds.

Police are investigating the relationship between the suspect and victim. They say she appeared to be unhurt.

It’s unknown how many times the suspect was shot, as the investigation is ongoing.

The Atwater police department is investigating the shooting. The officer involved is now on paid administrative leave for three days, which police say is standard procedure.