Suspect killed in officer-involved shooting following chase of stolen West Covina police cruiser

GLENDALE, Calif. (KABC) -- Police shot and killed a suspect who allegedly stole a West Covina police cruiser and then led authorities on a high-speed chase through Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley Sunday night.

The suspect allegedly called Glendale police around 8:40 p.m. from West Covina and told the 911 dispatcher that he had been injected with something. Glendale police transferred the call to West Covina police, at which point officers responded to what appeared to be a mental health case.

"The person had made some kind of wild allegations that had to do with the West Covina Police Department about being injected with some sort of material, indicating a potential mental health issue," according to Sgt. Bill Cotter of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.

Responding officers were in the process of giving him a ride in the backseat of the patrol car. When officers stopped to drop off the man, he somehow got into the driver's seat of the patrol vehicle, police said.

The suspect led police on a high-speed chase in the stolen cruiser through surface streets and freeways throughout central L.A., eventually winding up the 101 Freeway to the San Fernando Valley. The suspect drove at high speeds with the cruiser's lights on as officers followed closely behind.

The chase ended around 10:30 p.m. with the suspect cornered in a parking lot in the 100 block of S. Glendale Avenue in Glendale as officers violently rammed his car and boxed in the stolen cruiser.

An officer-involved shooting occurred shortly after the collision. Witness Dexter Tortoriello said he heard about five to seven gunshots.

Details on what prompted West Covina police to open fire were not immediately released. No officers were injured, police said.

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity was not released pending notification of next of kin.

Glendale Avenue was temporarily blocked off near Harvard Street.

Homicide detectives from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department are assisting West Covina police in their investigation. Anyone with information about this incident was encouraged to contact Homicide Bureau detectives at (323) 890-5500.