NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — The California Department of Justice is investigating a Saturday morning shooting in Glenn County that led to the death of an unarmed man who had attempted to flee a traffic stop by the California Highway Patrol.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Saturday night that the Department of Justice is investigating the incident and will independently review it pursuant to Assembly Bill 1506.
Bonta’s office confirmed that the shooting resulted in the death of one individual and reportedly occurred on southbound Interstate 5 at County Road 33 at approximately 9:45 a.m. Saturday.
The name of the subject who was shot has so far not been released by authorities.
AB 1506, signed into law on Sept. 30, 2020, and in effect on July 1, 2021, requires the Department of Justice to investigate and review all officer-involved shootings resulting in the death of unarmed civilians across California.
Radio traffic from the call indicated that the CHP had been pursuing a Hispanic male who had failed to yield when they attempted to pull him over.
When the driver did finally pull over, he jumped out of the vehicle and ran into a nearby orchard. CHP then requested assistance from the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office, according to the dispatch reports.
At about 9:50 a.m., Glenn County Sheriff’s Dispatch told responding deputies that there had been shots fired, but at that point they did not know if it was an officer or the fleeing driver who had been responsible for the shooting.
Minutes later, deputies arriving on scene reported that the person who had fled on foot was down and CPR was in progress.
Additional law enforcement and firefighters also responded to the scene, according to radio reports.
Following notification by Glenn County authorities, DOJ’s California Police Shooting Investigation Team initiated an investigation in accordance with AB 1506 mandates.
Upon completion of the investigation, it will be turned over to DOJ’s Special Prosecutions Section within the Criminal Law Division for independent review, Bonta’s office reported.
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