Man shot, killed by cop had criminal past

ESCONDIDO — The man shot and killed by a San Diego police officer after a 25-mile pursuit into Escondido Sunday morning said he was armed with explosives and a gun, but authorities said Monday they found neither.

Aaron Devenere, 27, of Allied Gardens was a passenger in a Toyota pickup when he told police dispatchers he was holding the driver as a hostage, Escondido police Lt. Neil Griffin said.

At the end of the chase, Devenere was not obeying commands from police and had one arm around the driver’s head and the other near her rib cage when the officer fired a fatal shot to the passenger’s head, Griffin said at a news conference Monday afternoon.

Although no gun was found in the vehicle, he said investigators did discover knives in the truck bed.

According to court records, Devenere of Allied Gardens had a criminal history that dates to 2007 and included felony drug charges. No drugs were found in the truck, Griffin said.

911 call from Aaron Devenere

Aaron Devenere placed this 911 call before he was shot and killed by a San Diego police officer after a 25-mile pursuit into Escondido Sunday.

He said Sunday’s pursuit started about 7 a.m. after a San Diego police officer noticed the truck had an expired registration and stopped the vehicle on Aero Drive near Interstate 15 in Kearny Mesa.

There was an “aggressive confrontation” between the officer and Devenere, who got out of the pickup, police said.

Devenere got back in the truck and the woman started driving north on I-15, with speeds reaching 80 mph, Griffin said. The driver was Devenere’s cousin, his aunt Lori Meyers said.

Griffin said the woman was driving willingly with Devenere when she was pulled over, but after the confrontation he forced her to drive away.

Police consider her a kidnap victim. “Throughout the pursuit she remained under duress and in fear,” Griffin said.

The driver told police she fled because she was afraid Devenere would harm her and that he had an object pushed against her side that she thought was a gun, Griffin said. She told police he controlled her movements by grabbing her hands.

Scanner traffic includes a law enforcement dispatcher saying Devenere threatened to shoot the driver if she stopped and that he would break her fingers if she pulled over.

Devenere sprained the woman’s finger, Griffin said.

He said in talking to San Diego police and California Highway Patrol dispatchers, Devenere told them: “I have this girl. … I told her not to pull over. … I have a gun in the car that I am pointing at her.”

The pair’s truck was slowed by spike strips on I-15, and the driver exited the freeway at Centre City Parkway. The truck had two punctured tires and came to a stop about 7:40 a.m. just north of Country Club Lane. The officer fired two minutes later, Griffin said.

The woman told police she thought Devenere had shot himself when she heard gunfire.

The driver was taken to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, where she was treated and released.

Meyers said her nephew had been released from jail last week. He was scheduled to start a drug program on Saturday but was rejected because he tested positive for prescription drugs he thought he was given in custody to help him sleep, she said.

The aunt said Devenere was upset about being rejected by the program and started behaving oddly later Saturday.

San Diego County Superior Court records show that in October Devenere pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana and a controlled substance, both felonies. He also has previous felony convictions for burglary and possession of stolen property, according to court records.

His Facebook page says he went to Patrick Henry High School in San Diego, and is a husband and father. He also makes references to drug use on the page.

The officer involved who shot Devenere has been on the force for 11 years. He is on paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated, San Diego police homicide Lt. Mike Hastings said. Such leaves are routine following officer-involved shootings.