Armed passenger in police chase believed to be suspect in fatal Downey liquor store shooting
The armed passenger in a car that led police on a chase from Downey to Vernon that ended in a shootout with police on Friday is believed to be the suspect who allegedly shot and killed a liquor store co-owner in Downey, police said.
The passenger, described only as a man, lay motionless after the shootout and was transported to a local hospital in an unknown condition.
It was not immediately clear exactly where the chase began, although it originated with Downey police pursuing a dark-colored Toyota Prius with two people inside. At the onset of the pursuit, officers reported from the scene that the passenger in the car was a murder suspect.
During the wild pursuit — caught on live TV — that went north on the Long Beach (710) Freeway then on streets in Commerce and Vernon, the passenger in the Toyota leaned out of the car’s window and fired at pursuing officers and even appeared to shoot at a sheriff’s department helicopter.
The vehicle came to a stop in traffic at about 2:45 p.m. in the area of Bandini Boulevard and Downey Road, where the man in the Prius again began firing at officers, who returned fire, shattering windows on the car.
No law enforcement officers appeared to have been injured in the shooting.
The female driver of the Prius got out and surrendered a short time later. She appeared to have blood on her, but it wasn’t clear if it was hers.
The passenger remained in the car, with officers and more than a dozen cruisers positioned behind.
About 3:20 p.m., a sheriff’s armored vehicle, called a Bearcat, arrived at the scene.
The K-9 was pulled out and sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau deputies approached the vehicle and dragged the suspect, who was not moving, from the car.
He was then placed into an ambulance and taken from the scene in unknown condition.
Afterward, Downey police said they believe the man was connected to the Tuesday night fatal shooting of a Downey liquor store co-owner during a possible robbery attempt.
Related Story: Downey police release surveillance video, ask for help identifying homicide suspect
That shooting at ASL Liquor and Market in the 8500 block of Paramount Boulevard, killed 44-year-old Gurpreet Singh, of Cerritos. Police on Thursday released surveillance video and photos of the shooting suspect, who wielded a weapon that appears strikingly similar to the one used by the passenger in Friday’s pursuit.
City News Service and staff writer Jonah Valdez contributed to this report.