Suspect wounded in Ventura police officer-involved shooting

VENTURA, Calif. (KABC) -- A suspect was hospitalized in a shooting incident involving Ventura police officers Sunday afternoon at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

The Ventura Fire Department responded to a shooting/stabbing report at Figueroa Street and Harbor Boulevard at 4:04 p.m. Ventura Police said several officers were involved in the shooting. The shooting occurred at 3:45 p.m. outside the fairgrounds.

An officer was struck by a vehicle and injured. The officer was transported to Ventura Medical Center, but was later released, according to the police department.

Ventura Police said fair security personnel reported that a reckless driver in a red truck was trying to pass several road barricades near the Garden Street gate entrance. Officers stopped the truck near the Figueroa/Harbor intersection. The suspect suddenly accelerated backwards, crashing into a stopped vehicle behind him. Police said he then quickly accelerated forward toward an officer, striking the officer.

Other officers at the scene fired at the suspect vehicle as the truck collided into parked police motorcycles and a shuttle bus. The shuttle bus was not occupied by fair-goers during the shooting, according to police.

The suspect was struck by gunfire and hospitalized at Ventura County Medical Center in critical condition.