CHP officer shot at end of chase that began with incident in Sequoia National Park

A California Highway Patrol officer was hit by gunfire Friday morning in a car chase-turned-shootout that included multiple law enforcement agencies across a stretch of the south Valley.

The officer was assisting the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, Woodlake Polce Department and CalFire in pursuit of a suspect who had pulled a gun on a family in the Grant Forrest area of Sequoia National Park around 9:30 a.m.

From there, the man drove south into the Three Rivers area, where there were reports of gunfire at a Chevron gas station, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said durings a news conference Friday afternoon.

During the chase, the suspect shot at officers through the window of his car, Boudreaux said.

The pursuit ended in an orchard near Road 196 just north of Highway 198, where the suspect crashed and left his car. The CHP officer, described as a 20-year veteran of the department, was approaching the vehicle when the man sneaked back around and attacked. During the physical altercation, the officer was shot in the shoulder.

Deputies with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office then fired on the suspect, striking him.

The suspect was taken to a hospital for emergency care. His status was not know as of Friday afternoon.

The officer was airlifted from the scene with non-life threatening injuries, according the CHP.

The shooting was being investigated by the Visalia Police Department, but Boudreaux said he believed law enforcement acted appropriately.

The hours-long incident is believed to have begun when the suspect brandished a knife, or knife-style weapon, on a family inside Sequoia National Park on the Big Trees Trail on Friday morning. He used the knife to slash their car tires, before he pulled out a gun, Boudreaux said.

The park was closed for several hours Friday as the National Park Service investigated the incident.

This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 1:27 PM with the headline "CHP officer shot at end of chase that began with incident in Sequoia National Park."