(Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies secure a crime scene where a deputy had a confrontation with two people early Friday morning on Ocean Street Extension. A woman was shot by the deputy and the deputy suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the confrontation, said Sgt. Brian Cleveland. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/Pajaronian)
SANTA CRUZ — A Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy shot and injured a woman early Friday in Santa Cruz after she reportedly slipped out of her handcuffs and rammed a deputy with a police cruiser.
Around 3:30 a.m., two deputies were making a routine check at the Ocean Street Extension when they encountered the man and woman transferring items from one car to another. After running the cars’ plates, they discovered that one had been reported stolen, and attempted to detain the pair for questioning. The woman ended up confronting the deputies and they handcuffed her, placing her in the back of a patrol car.
As deputies questioned the man, the woman managed to slip free from the handcuffs, Sheriff Jim Hart said. She then reached through a partially open window of the patrol SUV and got out. That’s when she entered the driver’s side of the vehicle and reportedly ran it into one of the deputies. The woman then backed up and repeatedly tried to strike the deputy, also damaging both vehicles in the process.
The second deputy fired multiple rounds into the vehicle in order to stop her. She was struck with three bullets in the chest and abdomen, Hart said.
As additional deputies arrived on the scene, first aid was administered. The woman was then flown to a trauma center where she underwent surgery.
The injured deputy was rushed to an area hospital, where he was treated and then released. The extent of his injuries is not yet known.
“We’re still in the very early stages of this investigation,” Hart said early Friday afternoon. “Several people still need to be interviewed. The crime scene is still being processed.”
The woman will be booked in the Santa Cruz County Jail for attempted murder against a police officer and other charges after her release. The male involved has not yet been charged and is cooperating with investigators.
According to Hart, residents near the Ocean Street Extension have been reporting heightened drug use and trespassing in the area, which is why deputies have been patrolling there.
“It’s a fairly remote area,” Hart said. “There’s really no good reason to be back there.”
Details of the investigation, including the names of those involved, have yet to be released.
