Surreal shooting
Officer kills driver of car full of robbery suspects
By Crystal Carreon and Christina Jewett -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 12:01 am PDT Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Story appeared on Page A14 of The Bee
A carload of armed robbery suspects plowed into a Sacramento police officer Monday in a crowded Natomas shopping center, injuring the officer, who managed to cling to the hood while firing shots at the windshield that killed the driver, police said.
Moments later, the car crashed into a palm tree outside In-N-Out Burger, near the exit of Natomas Marketplace shortly after 1 p.m., in a surreal scene witnessed by dozens of shoppers and diners. Three dazed suspects were taken into custody as the driver's body remained in the car.
Sacramento police Monday night continued to investigate what led to the shooting at the Truxel Road center, while lauding the officer's actions to thwart further violence at the bustling commercial center.
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Officers apprehend two suspects in an incident at Sacramento's Natomas Marketplace shopping center that left another police officer injured and an armed robbery suspect dead. Special to The Sacramento Bee/Devin Bruce
See Additional Images - http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14259103p-15073368c.html#more_images
Police declined to name the officer or any of the four robbery suspects, including the man who was killed. But a source familiar with the investigation identified the officer as Kevin Howland. He was listed in stable condition at UC Davis Medical Center with a swollen knee.
Police were called to Natomas Marketplace, off Interstate 80, where they found an older-model maroon Plymouth reportedly involved in an earlier armed robbery less than two miles away at Northgate Boulevard and San Juan Road, said Sgt. Terrell Marshall.
In that robbery, the victim, who was not injured, said he was confronted by two men who were armed with pistols, Marshall said. The victim called police, describing the car and saying the robbers were likely heading to the shopping complex.
Moments later, the officer spotted a car matching the description parked in front of the Wal-Mart across the parking lot from On the Border Mexican Cafe. He pulled his patrol car near the vehicle, and when he walked over, the suspects abruptly backed up, ramming the rear of his cruiser, police said.
The car then lurched forward, throwing the officer onto the hood as the car swerved across the parking lot.
"In fear, obviously for his life, he fired several rounds from his service weapon," Marshall said.
Photos show eight bullet holes in the windshield, believed fired from the officer's gun. Police said they are investigating whether the suspects returned fire.
The crackle of gunfire shook Kim Johnson, who had just parked her minivan packed with relatives visiting from Oregon at On the Border Mexican Cafe.
"Then I saw the red car flying with bullet holes, and the cop was limping through the lot, holding his gun," the Citrus Heights woman said. "My fear was for my parents and nieces."
The car then crashed into a palm tree near the parking lot exit.
Johnson said a bloodied passenger emerged from the car and started to pace behind their van. A woman in a white tank top stood next to the car with her hands in the air. As police swooped in to make the arrests, they found another injured male passenger.
The driver's body remained in the wrecked car throughout the afternoon.
At In-N-Out Burger, Hiroko Goto dove under a picnic table a few yards from where the car had crashed.
"It didn't feel scary, because it just seems so unreal," she said. "It's like 'CSI: New York,' or something like that."
Roberto Pareja and his 15-year-old son, Daniel, had just finished their burgers and fries. They were walking to their car when the incident unfolded.
They said they watched as it happened, seemingly in slow motion: They heard the gunshots, then screeching tires and then the officer flailing about on the hood of the car.
The younger Pareja started to duck near his dad after catching a glimpse of the officer steadying his gun and firing through the windshield -- over and over, he said, as the car swerved.
The officer was then tossed off, and the car careened out of the Wal-Mart parking lot. It slowed as it approached a row of freshly planted palm trees less than 30 yards from where the Parejas stood.
"I just said, 'Oh Lord, please protect me now,' " the teenager said.
"It was unreal," his father said, separated from his car by rows of police tape. "I never expected to see anything like this before."
A few witnesses, including Johnson, said they saw pistols drawn from a separate vehicle, a white car near the maroon car. But Monday night, police could not confirm whether another vehicle was involved in the robbery or what unfolded thereafter.
"We're still looking at that," Marshall said, noting that police were reviewing stores' surveillance footage. "At this point, we don't believe it to be, but we can't rule that out."
Hours after the shooting, ribbons of police tape crisscrossed Wal-Mart's sprawling parking lot and the islands of Natomas Marketplace.
Kershawn Hardy and Angel Strong had just finished their meal at On the Border and then stepped into the crime scene.
"We are just trying to enjoy our lunch," Strong said.
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The windshield of a car is riddled with holes from shots fired by a Sacramento police officer who was clinging to the hood after being struck by the vehicle carrying armed robbery suspects. The driver was killed. Sacramento Bee/Randy Pench
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The injured officer was identified as Kevin Howland by a source familiar with the case. Special to The Sacramento Bee/Devin Bruce
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Sacramento police secure the scene of a fatal shooting Monday at Natomas Marketplace. At left is the maroon Plymouth reportedly used earlier in an armed robbery two miles away. Special to The Sacramento Bee/Devin Bruce
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14259103p-15073368c.html#comments_here
- Janq
Officer kills driver of car full of robbery suspects
By Crystal Carreon and Christina Jewett -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 12:01 am PDT Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Story appeared on Page A14 of The Bee
A carload of armed robbery suspects plowed into a Sacramento police officer Monday in a crowded Natomas shopping center, injuring the officer, who managed to cling to the hood while firing shots at the windshield that killed the driver, police said.
Moments later, the car crashed into a palm tree outside In-N-Out Burger, near the exit of Natomas Marketplace shortly after 1 p.m., in a surreal scene witnessed by dozens of shoppers and diners. Three dazed suspects were taken into custody as the driver's body remained in the car.
Sacramento police Monday night continued to investigate what led to the shooting at the Truxel Road center, while lauding the officer's actions to thwart further violence at the bustling commercial center.
Officers apprehend two suspects in an incident at Sacramento's Natomas Marketplace shopping center that left another police officer injured and an armed robbery suspect dead. Special to The Sacramento Bee/Devin Bruce
See Additional Images - http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14259103p-15073368c.html#more_images
Police declined to name the officer or any of the four robbery suspects, including the man who was killed. But a source familiar with the investigation identified the officer as Kevin Howland. He was listed in stable condition at UC Davis Medical Center with a swollen knee.
Police were called to Natomas Marketplace, off Interstate 80, where they found an older-model maroon Plymouth reportedly involved in an earlier armed robbery less than two miles away at Northgate Boulevard and San Juan Road, said Sgt. Terrell Marshall.
In that robbery, the victim, who was not injured, said he was confronted by two men who were armed with pistols, Marshall said. The victim called police, describing the car and saying the robbers were likely heading to the shopping complex.
Moments later, the officer spotted a car matching the description parked in front of the Wal-Mart across the parking lot from On the Border Mexican Cafe. He pulled his patrol car near the vehicle, and when he walked over, the suspects abruptly backed up, ramming the rear of his cruiser, police said.
The car then lurched forward, throwing the officer onto the hood as the car swerved across the parking lot.
"In fear, obviously for his life, he fired several rounds from his service weapon," Marshall said.
Photos show eight bullet holes in the windshield, believed fired from the officer's gun. Police said they are investigating whether the suspects returned fire.
The crackle of gunfire shook Kim Johnson, who had just parked her minivan packed with relatives visiting from Oregon at On the Border Mexican Cafe.
"Then I saw the red car flying with bullet holes, and the cop was limping through the lot, holding his gun," the Citrus Heights woman said. "My fear was for my parents and nieces."
The car then crashed into a palm tree near the parking lot exit.
Johnson said a bloodied passenger emerged from the car and started to pace behind their van. A woman in a white tank top stood next to the car with her hands in the air. As police swooped in to make the arrests, they found another injured male passenger.
The driver's body remained in the wrecked car throughout the afternoon.
At In-N-Out Burger, Hiroko Goto dove under a picnic table a few yards from where the car had crashed.
"It didn't feel scary, because it just seems so unreal," she said. "It's like 'CSI: New York,' or something like that."
Roberto Pareja and his 15-year-old son, Daniel, had just finished their burgers and fries. They were walking to their car when the incident unfolded.
They said they watched as it happened, seemingly in slow motion: They heard the gunshots, then screeching tires and then the officer flailing about on the hood of the car.
The younger Pareja started to duck near his dad after catching a glimpse of the officer steadying his gun and firing through the windshield -- over and over, he said, as the car swerved.
The officer was then tossed off, and the car careened out of the Wal-Mart parking lot. It slowed as it approached a row of freshly planted palm trees less than 30 yards from where the Parejas stood.
"I just said, 'Oh Lord, please protect me now,' " the teenager said.
"It was unreal," his father said, separated from his car by rows of police tape. "I never expected to see anything like this before."
A few witnesses, including Johnson, said they saw pistols drawn from a separate vehicle, a white car near the maroon car. But Monday night, police could not confirm whether another vehicle was involved in the robbery or what unfolded thereafter.
"We're still looking at that," Marshall said, noting that police were reviewing stores' surveillance footage. "At this point, we don't believe it to be, but we can't rule that out."
Hours after the shooting, ribbons of police tape crisscrossed Wal-Mart's sprawling parking lot and the islands of Natomas Marketplace.
Kershawn Hardy and Angel Strong had just finished their meal at On the Border and then stepped into the crime scene.
"We are just trying to enjoy our lunch," Strong said.
The windshield of a car is riddled with holes from shots fired by a Sacramento police officer who was clinging to the hood after being struck by the vehicle carrying armed robbery suspects. The driver was killed. Sacramento Bee/Randy Pench
The injured officer was identified as Kevin Howland by a source familiar with the case. Special to The Sacramento Bee/Devin Bruce
Sacramento police secure the scene of a fatal shooting Monday at Natomas Marketplace. At left is the maroon Plymouth reportedly used earlier in an armed robbery two miles away. Special to The Sacramento Bee/Devin Bruce
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14259103p-15073368c.html#comments_here
- Janq
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