KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Investigators are continuing to piece together the facts surrounding an early Saturday morning Kelseyville incident in which a man shot at officers before leading law enforcement on a lengthy pursuit that resulted in another man being seriously injured.
Officials said no officers were hurt in the incident, which occurred shortly after 2:30 a.m. and led to a daylong search near Kelseyville.
However, a male subject believed to have been in the suspect vehicle – and who fell or jumped out – was seriously injured and in the hospital, according to District Attorney Don Anderson.
A male suspect, who was not identified, was arrested for the shooting, said Anderson, whose office is conducting an investigation per Lake County Critical Incident Protocol.
Anderson said they're still not sure why the man shot at California Highway Patrol officers during an early morning traffic stop.
A female who was in the vehicle and is considered a witness has been questioned and released, he said.
The District Attorney's Office is working with CHP Northern Division's Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team and CHP shooting team to collect evidence and conduct measurements, Anderson said.
According to a report from CHP Officer Kory Reynolds, at 2:37 a.m. a CHP unit attempted to make a traffic stop on a suspected drunk driver on Highway 29 near Cruickshank Drive.
The vehicle – which in radio reports had been described as a white SUV – yielded to the right shoulder and then the driver allegedly shot several times at the officers with a firearm, according to the report.
Reynolds said the vehicle fled northbound on Highway 29 to north of Live Oak Drive and again pulled to the right shoulder.
The CHP pulled behind the suspect vehicle and exited their patrol vehicle, at which point the suspect vehicle made a U-turn and several more shots were fired at the officers, Reynolds said.
He said the officers returned fire as the vehicle fled south on Highway 29, then west on Live Oak Drive.
The officers attempted to pursue the vehicle and as the vehicle turned onto Live Oak Drive they located an injured suspect in the roadway, he said.
Reynolds said the CHP officers provided medical treatment to the injured party until Kelseyville Fire arrived on scene.
Radio reports indicated the injured person was transported by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
The suspect vehicle, which Anderson said was a white Chevy Tahoe SUV, was located abandoned on a hillside in the area of Highway 29 and Sand Hill, with its tires flat.
Anderson said Saturday evening that the SUV hadn't yet been searched. He said a search warrant needed to be obtained to process it, and it would be towed and then searched sometime Monday or Tuesday.
Highway 29 remained shut down through much of the day as the search continued from the ground as well as from the air, thanks to a CHP helicopter.
Anderson said the highway was closed in both directions between Live Oak Drive and Bell Hill Road, and he expected it to be fully reopened sometime early Saturday evening.
“It looks like they've collected some of the evidence, not all of it,” he said.
Elona Porter, a sheriff's crime scene evidence technician, also was assisting, as were Kelseyville K-CORPS members, Anderson said. “They did a great job.”
He said one female K-CORPS member had suffered a minor injury during the search. Anderson did not have details about how the girl was injured.
As for the possibility of another suspect being outstanding, Anderson said they're not sure if there was another person involved.
An automated call from the sheriff's office to Kelseyville residents on Saturday morning stated that officials were searching for a male subject in his early 20s, who was Hispanic or Indian, and last seen in a read flannel jacket and jeans.
However, Anderson said officials are not certain the information about that subject is accurate.
Anderson said he and his staff expected to remain at the scene into Saturday night, with more work to continue on Sunday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.