Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
EMERYVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Traffic came to a standstill for hours on a busy San Francisco Bay Area freeway Wednesday during a standoff between police and a homicide suspect that ended when officers opened fire, killing the man.
The standoff during the morning rush hour on Interstate 80 in the suburb of Emeryville ended about an hour after the suspect got out of a black sports utility vehicle.
Fairfield Police Sgt. Jeff Osgood confirmed officers from his department were involved in the pursuit of a homicide suspect. He said there was an "exchange of gunfire" during the standoff on I-80 and that the man died of his injuries.
The suspect seemed to take a step toward officers behind at least a dozen patrol cars in the incident captured on video and shared by social media users.
California Highway Patrol Officer Matthew Hamer said the danger to motorists ended about 10:30 a.m. but he declined to comment on how the standoff came to an end.
He referred questions about what he called "the shooting" to the police department in the San Francisco suburb of Richmond. Richmond police did not respond to telephone and email messages seeking comment.
A Facebook Live video shot from the air showed the man getting out of the car and taking a step before falling to the ground. Another video shot by a motorist appeared to show officers firing their guns and the sound of at least 20 gunshots.
At least 12 police cruisers surrounded the SUV, shutting down traffic for miles (kilometers) on several key roads into San Francisco and surrounding cities.
Hamer said the SUV was pursued by officers with the Richmond Police Department and that highway patrol officers used a spiked mat to pierce the vehicle's tires.
A Richmond Police Department dispatcher earlier said the department was assisting Fairfield police officers.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
