ANAHEIM Police investigating a burglary early Friday morning opened fire on a man who drove his truck at an officer, but it was unknown if the man was struck by gunfire, a spokesman said.
The 3:15 a.m. shooting occurred when officers were responding to a burglary alarm at Colony Park, a master-planned condominium community at Melrose and Water streets, Anaheim police Sgt. Bob Dunn said.
Officers saw a man walking near the community’s sales office and noticed a washer and dryer in the adjacent, small parking lot. Officers tried to stop the man, but he ran.
As one officer chased the man, the other officer noticed a dark-colored pickup parked near the washer and dryer. As that officer approached the truck, he noticed a male inside, Dunn said.
“(The driver) accelerated toward the officer who was in the foot pursuit,†Dunn said. “That’s when the officer-involved shooting occurred.â€
The officer fired multiple shots. The man drove off.
“There’s a chance the vehicle was struck, but it’s unknown if the driver was hit,†Dunn said.
No one has showed up at a local hospital suffering from a gunshot wound.
A police canine found the man who fled on foot hiding a few blocks away near train tracks. The man, identified as Abel Frank Armenta, 36, of Placentia, was taken to a hospital to be treated for bite wounds, Dunn said. He was booked at the Anaheim City Jail on suspicion of burglary and resisting arrest.
Armenta was on parole, Dunn said.
Police say Armenta and another man burglarized a model condominium just west of the sales office. A flat screen and a washer and dryer were taken and the refrigerator was moved, Dunn said. All of the items were recovered.
The shooting marks the third officer-involved shooting in Anaheim in less than a week.
“If we get information that anyone was struck, then the District Attorney’s Office investigators will take over the investigation,†Dunn said.
The fatal shootings on Saturday and Sunday of two known gang members resulted in violent protests in the city that is home to Disneyland and the Angels. Tuesday night, the fourth day of at-times violent unrest, a crowd of 1,000 protesters set trash fires, smashed windows at about 20 downtown businesses and threw rocks and other items at officers in riot gear. Police deployed bean bags and pepper balls at demonstrators who refused to disperse.
Anyone with information about Friday’s shooting was asked to call Anaheim police at 714-765-1900.
