Standoff on major California freeway ends after shots fired
EMERYVILLE, Calif. (AP) - Traffic came to a standstill for hours on a San Francisco Bay Area freeway Wednesday during a standoff between police and a suspect that ended with shots fired.
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.
He 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 ended.
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 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 in a lane of Interstate 80 in the San Francisco suburb of Emeryville, shutting 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.
Fairfield Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jeff Osgood confirmed the department was involved but said he could not provide additional information.