Chase starts in Paso Robles, ends with officers killing suspect

May 25, 2021

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A CHP chase that started near Paso Robles morphed into a nearly 12-hour standoff in Kings County, ending with officers shooting and killing the suspect after he allegedly opened fire Monday morning.

On Sunday evening, CHP officers began chasing a vehicle near Paso Robles. The chase crossed into Kings County, and at about 7 p.m., the CHP requested assistance from the Kings County Sheriff’s Office.

The pursuit ended in the area of State Route 33 and Devil’s Den Road in southwestern Kings County, where the suspect confronted CHP officers while wearing a tactical vest and armed with a firearm, according to the Kings County Sheriff’s Office.

CHP officers began negotiating with the man in an attempt to get him to surrender. At about 7:30 p.m., authorities requested that the Kings County Sheriff’s SWAT and Crisis Resolution teams come to the scene. The Sheriff’s Crisis Resolution Team then negotiated with the suspect for approximately 10 hours.

At about 5:30 a.m., the Kings County Regional SWAT team relieved the sheriff’s units. The regional SWAT team continued negotiating with the suspect in an ongoing attempt to get him to surrender peacefully.

But at about 7 a.m., the suspect confronted and engaged the Regional SWAT team by firing at least one shot in their direction, according to the sheriff’s office. Law enforcement personnel returned fire, striking the suspect.

Emergency personnel pronounced the suspect dead at the scene. The Kings County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the fatal shooting, along with the CHP, Kings County District Attorney’s Office and Hanford Police Department.