Police Shoot Suspect After Freeway Crash : Two in Stolen Car Chased by Owner, Officers; Windshield of Woman Motorist Hit by Bullet

An 18-year-old Anaheim man was in custody early Friday and a second suspect was at large after the two allegedly stole a car and led police on a frantic freeway chase that ended with a car crash and shots being fired, police said.

The chase left the Anaheim man wounded from police gunfire. A passing motorist was slightly injured after a stray bullet shattered her windshield and sprayed her with fragments of glass, police said.

Brea Police Capt. Jim Oman said the incident began around 9:30 p.m. Thursday when two men confronted Linda Pinney of Brea as she drove her gold Acura Legend into her driveway on the 1400 block of Alta Mesa Way. One of the men yanked her from the car, struck her in the face, jumped into the driver’s seat and then sped away in her car. The other man took off behind in a blue Nissan Maxima, Oman said.

Husband Chased Cars

Pinney’s husband was home at the time and saw the commotion. He ran to a pickup truck parked nearby and began the chase.

The two cars made their way to the Orange Freeway and headed south at speeds of up to 100 m.p.h., Oman said. But the husband closed in and overtook the Acura in congested traffic near the Lambert Road exit in Brea. Oman said the husband jumped from the truck and immediately began beating the driver of the Acura.

After a brief scuffle, the driver broke free and ran to the Nissan, jumped in and again sped away. The husband climbed into the Acura and continued the chase--this time followed by police.

Near the Yorba Linda Boulevard exit in Fullerton, the chase ended when the Nissan spun out of control and crashed into the freeway’s center divider. The husband stopped the Acura in front of the car, but this time stayed inside the vehicle, Oman said.

Police shot Jay Le of Anaheim once in the left shoulder as he jumped from the Nissan and flashed what an officer thought was a gun, Oman said. Officers later found a toy gun in the car, but did not find a real weapon, he said. The officer who fired, whose name is being withheld, was uninjured.

Police said during the gunfire a stray bullet shattered the windshield of a car driven by 19-year-old Terry Susan Notthoff of West Covina, who was passing by. Notthoff suffered minor injuries from broken glass and was taken to St. Jude Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Fullerton, where she was treated for her injuries and released.

Brea Police Lt. Chet Panique said that whenever traffic or pedestrians are present, officers are told to use discretion in deciding whether to shoot at a fleeing suspect or to hold their fire.

“I just believe it would be putting them in too much jeopardy to tell them they couldn’t shoot on the freeway or congested areas,� Panique said. “A lot of it boils down to common sense and taking the factors into consideration. . . . But of course the officer is held accountable for the shooting.�

One Man Escaped

After being wounded, Le, 18, allegedly ran across the freeway and hopped a wall into the Homestead Apartments on Deerpark Drive. The other suspect ran across the freeway in the opposite direction and escaped.

Kyle Davis, a resident of the complex, said he was on his way home from work when he heard shots and saw a man scale the wall and run into the complex.

“First I thought maybe it was an auto accident,� Davis said, “so I stopped the car and got out. As I was walking back I saw this guy hop the freeway wall and start running through our complex, but I didn’t think he did anything wrong.�

Davis said he saw two police helicopters hovering over the dimly lit complex in search of the suspect. In the meantime, the fugitive climbed into a nearby dumpster, but was seen by other residents, who alerted police.

“A friend of mine said he knew where (the suspect) was hiding,� said Davis, a junior at nearby Cal State Fullerton. “He said he was inside this dumpster, but we didn’t want to look in because police said he still had a gun.�

Oman said a police dog was sent into the dumpster and found Le, unarmed.

Le was treated at the scene for his gunshot wound, along with some cuts and bruises, and was taken to St. Jude hospital in Fullerton. He was listed Friday in stable condition.

Le was held at the hospital on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, armed robbery and grand theft auto. His bail is set at $50,000.