Vallejo suspect crashes in car chase, is shot by police
Police activity swarmed around Sonoma Boulevard and Tennessee Street on Monday after a car chase ended with Vallejo police shooting a robbery suspect.
The suspect’s injury “appears not to be life threatening,” according to authorities.
Authorities responded to a report of an armed robbery on the 3400 block of Sonoma Boulevard around 11:43 a.m., the Vallejo Police Department said in a press release. The suspect’s car reportedly crashed into an uninvolved vehicle near Nation’s Giant Hamburgers.
“A foot pursuit took place after the collision and an officer-involved shooting took place soon thereafter,” police said.
A gas station clerk who declined to give his name said he heard the sound of the crash from inside his store.
“I’m here with (the) cashier. I hear the accident – big accident, you know?” the clerk said. He then heard the sound of “maybe four gunshots.”
Near Tennessee and Sonoma on Monday afternoon, glass and debris lay scattered near a white Toyota Yaris that was missing its back bumper. Law enforcement activity buzzed around another damaged vehicle that sat in the Marathon gas station.
A suspect sat in a squad car outside police tape at Alabama Street and Sutter Street as officers led another suspect out of the crime scene around 2:30 p.m. Police released both men later in the afternoon.
The Solano County Major Crimes Task Force has taken over the investigation. Authorities said they recovered a handgun at the scene.
“The Vallejo Police Department is committed to maximum transparency in this matter and will be providing further details in the near future,” police said.
This was Vallejo’s second officer-involved shooting in five months.
Back in June, an officer shot 29-year-old Jamazea Kittell in the mouth after Kittell drove a car into him while fleeing the scene of a burglary at a Springs Road gas station.
Kittell was originally charged with attempted murder for that incident, but Judge Robert Bowers recommended last month that this be reduced to assault or assault on a police officer.
Police hosted a press conference immediately after Kittell’s arrest. They followed that with a town hall where they released body camera footage of the incident and dispatch audio.
However, Bowers in August blocked the release of any more evidence because of prosecutors’ fears that it would potentially “taint the jury pool.”
The last Vallejo police shooting before Kittell was when Det. Jarrett Tonn fatally shot Sean Monterrosa in June 2020. The consequences of that incident have continued to play out in recent months, with a crowd of about 100 protesters dominating a Vallejo City Council meeting this summer in an unsuccessful attempt to block Tonn’s return to the police force.