Santa Ana Officer Shot, Drug Suspect Wounded in Raid

A Santa Ana undercover narcotics officer was shot in the face Friday as he barged into a suspected drug dealer’s house and, seconds later, the suspect was hit by gunfire from other officers, Santa Ana police said.

The undercover officer was immediately fired upon as he used a hand-held battering ram to force open the door where police were attempting to serve a search warrant, Police Lt. Robert Chavez said.

When other officers returned fire, the suspect dashed out the back door, where he shot at another officer who was in the backyard, Chavez said. Officers who had surrounded the house returned fire, shooting the suspect in the arm, leg and hip, he said.

Both the officer and suspect were rushed to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital’s trauma center and were reported to be in serious but stable condition, Chavez said.

The suspect is charged with attempted murder of a police officer and sale of narcotics, Chavez said.

The officer’s name was not released because of concern that it could jeopardize his undercover work, Chavez said. The suspect’s identity had not been definitely determined, he said.

The shooting occurred shortly after 1:45 p.m. at a two-bedroom, picket fence-lined house in a modest Latino neighborhood.

Chavez gave the following account of the shooting:

Twelve officers from the Police Department’s narcotics unit arrived at 4521 W. Posey St. to serve a search warrant. Officers had purchased heroin from the suspect earlier and, as a result, had obtained a search warrant from Central Orange County Municipal Court to look for further evidence in the house.

‘Raid’ Jackets

The officers were wearing “raid� jackets, which bear the name of the Police Department in large letters and have a badge painted on them. Five officers went to the front porch of the house, while the remainder surrounded the side and backyards. Two officers announced, in English and Spanish, the presence of police and demanded entry. They then heard the sounds of running inside the house.

One officer holding a small battering ram “forced in the front door and, as it swung open, he was immediately fired upon by the suspect in the house,� Chavez said.

One bullet hit the officer in the face, and he fell just inside the doorway. When the remaining officers on the front porch returned fire, the suspect ran to the back door, opened it and encountered the backup officers.

The suspect “immediately fired on one of the officers in the backyard,� barely missing him, Chavez said. The other officers shot back, and it is believed the suspect was hit at that time by three bullets, he said.

Taken Into Custody

Officers then entered the house and took the suspect into custody, Chavez said.

Two women, ages 27 and 28, were the only other occupants of the house, he said. They were unharmed and taken into custody for questioning but later released, he said.

The suspect used a long-barrel, Western-style revolver, Chavez said. It had not been determined how many shots police returned, he said.

The investigation closed off the narrow street lined with beige and yellow bungalows, where residents gathered to peer at the steady parade of paramedic vans, police cars and crime scene investigation trucks.

Two neighbors who live in apartments behind the shooting site said they saw police officers sneak up on the house from behind before the shooting started.

The residents, who did not want to give their names, said three police officers warned people in the apartment complex to remain indoors and stay low to the ground. The police then hid behind a block wall separating the apartments from the house, drew their guns and, on cue, leaped the wall, the residents said.

Almost immediately, they said, several shots--perhaps eight, according to one neighbor--rang out.