American Canyon police shoot suspect in Vallejo

VALLEJO – An American Canyon police officer shot a suspect in North Vallejo following a pursuit on Thursday afternoon, police said.

In a statement, American Canyon police said that an officer attempted to pull over a car for a vehicle code violation in the area of state Highway 29 and American Canyon Road at about 3:15 p.m

Police then pursued the tan Lexus into Vallejo’s Country Club Crest neighborhood, where the vehicle continued fleeing onto Mini Drive, Corcoran Avenue and Fairgrounds Drive, according to police scanner audio.

Eventually as the pursuit continued on Souza Way, the car’s tire blew near Gateway Drive. Multiple people ran from the vehicle, according to the scanner audio. Photos from the scene showed the car crashed into a fence.

Officers chased after the fleeing occupants. One officer fired his gun, said “shots fired” on the radio and called for medical attention. The officer said that he was not injured. The officer said that the suspect had a gun in his hand.

Police said that the suspect was taken to a hospital but did not disclose his condition. Police said that another suspect was taken into custody.

Erica and Jay May were working in their garage when they heard squealing tires and the impact of the crash at about 3:25 pm. Then they saw a plume of smoke that appeared to be from burnt tires rising from the intersection a block away and heard several shots. 

They went upstairs to their bedroom window which overlooks part of Cronin Drive where the vehicle crashed into a wooden fence. Numerous police vehicles showed up very quickly after creating a row of cruisers up and down the block.

“I was surprised to see so many agencies,” said Erica May. “There was American Canyon Police, Solano County Sheriff, Vallejo Police, California Highway Patrol and even the Rio Vista police.”

Another resident of the area said that she heard the crash and the shots. She learned a second man had been taken to custody but realized that the police were still looking for others because she saw officers searching the yards of her entire block from Cronin Drive to Griffin Drive with dogs.

American Canyon contracts with the Napa County Sheriff’s Office for its policing services. The incident is under investigation by the Solano County Major Crime Task Force, which is headed by the Solano County District Attorney's Office.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with bystander photos of the crash scene, a statement from the American Canyon Police Department, and interviews with neighbors.