SHOCKING footage shows the moment a US deputy opens fire on a man who intentionally rammed into his police car.
A deputy from East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station was in the area of Bell Gardens in Los Angeles County, California on Thursday morning when he attempted to pull over a white SUV.
Instead of complying, the SUV, reportedly speeding and “doing donuts” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, instead proceeded to crash into the officer’s patrol vehicle.
Dramatic footage captured by a passerby shows the moment of the collision, as the SUV hunts down the police Ford Explorer and rams into it.
Unsatisfied, the suspect reverses, before adjusting his wheels and plowing into the police cruiser again, with enough force to shift it a few inches across the road.
Unfazed, the driver then reverses and hits the cop car once again – although this time the officer seemingly fires a warning shot, causing the driver to hesitate for a moment.
Ultimately deciding to apparently try his luck, the man reverses back even further this time, before wheel spinning and racing forward, smashing into the side of the police vehicle.
The impact sends the cop’s car skidding into a streetlight, causing the officer to retaliate, by firing an incredible 18 staggered shots at the suspect’s car.
The SUV retreats and reverses in a slow circle, eventually coming to a stop almost parallel with the damaged police vehicle.
The clip then shows the police officer climbing out of his vehicle to assess the damage and detain the suspect.
The driver, identified only as a Hispanic male was taken into custody and transported to a hospital with gunshot wounds, where he was listed in stable condition.
The deputy suffered an unspecified injury and was taken to a hospital, where he has since been released, a Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman said.
Authorities temporarily closed the intersection for traffic, whilst Sheriff’s homicide detectives responded to the scene to investigate the shooting along with the inspector general’s investigators on Thursday morning.
The investigation is ongoing.
