A man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of peace officers after he fired a handgun at pursuing officers from a speeding car during a chase through Riverside County Friday evening, authorities said.
Jonathan Kyler Nunn, 25, of Idyllwild was in a red Toyota Camry Solara when an officer spotted him while patrolling the area of Domenigoni Parkway near Sanderson Avenue in the city of Hemet around 5:40 p.m., according to the Hemet Police Department.
The officer recognized Nunn as a suspect in a recent shooting and pulled up behind his vehicle, police said.
The driver fled immediately, kickstarting a pursuit.
“Nunn then began shooting a handgun at the pursuing officer as he sped westbound on Domenigoni Parkway toward Winchester Road in an area southwest of Hemet,” police said in a news release.
The officer’s car was struck by gunfire, but the officer was not injured, according to authorities.
The pursuit then led into the unincorporated area of Winchester, where Nunn also shot at a California Highway Patrol officer who happened to be stopped on the side of the road, Hemet police said.
“Thankfully, the CHP officer was not injured, but at least one bullet hit the officer’s CHP patrol vehicle,” police said.
Police said officers did not return fire.
The pursuit continued, with more police cruisers and an airship from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department converging on the scene.
“The suspect fired several more times at pursuing officers while traveling toward the area of Highway 74 and Juniper Flats Road, where he came to a stop,” police said. “At that point, Nunn tossed his gun onto the dirt and surrendered without further incident.”
Officers found a “distraught” woman in Nunn’s car and detained her as well, but it was unclear what role she had played, police said.
Nunn could face two counts of attempted murder of peace officers, according to the department.