Multiple police officers were involved in a shooting Sunday afternoon that left one man wounded outside the Ventura County Fairgrounds, officials said.
The incident occurred just after 3:45 p.m. near the intersection of East Harbor Boulevard and Figueroa Boulevard (map), where an officer was struck by a GMC Sonoma pickup truck, a spokesman for the Ventura Police Department said.
“The suspect, to get where he’s at, came through an area that had a lot of security guards and certain checkpoints,” said Assistant Police Chief David Wilson. “It’s not normally open to the public.”
The driver of the truck was stopped by traffic officers, and as they were talking to him, he allegedly put the vehicle in reverse gear and smashed into a truck behind him, Wilson said.
“He put the truck back in drive, drove forward, striking one of our officers,” Wilson said. “That officer landed up on the hood of the [Sonoma] and into the windshield.”
The driver was hit when several officers opened fire, the Police Department said. The truck then crashed into six police motorcycles that were parked nearby, toppling them.
“We heard four gunshots, and immediately I said, ‘Those weren’t fireworks,'” said fairgoer Chris DeGara. He added: “People are kind of concerned. Of course, there’s a lot of kids out here.”
The wounded man was transported to Ventura County Medical in critical condition, according to authorities. The officer who was hit by the truck was taken to the same hospital; his injuries were described as moderate.
No officers were struck by gunfire, the Police Department said.
A fatal shooting occurred near the fairgrounds in July 2013. A man was killed by two gang members on a bike path in the area of the Ventura River bottom, police said at the time.