Alpine Man Arrested in CHP Shooting Case

An Alpine man was being held without bail Saturday at County Jail downtown after a California Highway Patrol officer was shot at and other officers were led on a chase through East County, the CHP reported.

During the chase, at least 10 gunshots were fired by the gunman, striking several vehicles but apparently causing no injuries, authorities said.

The suspect, identified by the CHP as Patrick James Carrizosa, 31, was booked on suspicion of committing 10 crimes, included attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, a jail spokesman said.

The CHP said Officer Ken Wood tried to pull Carrizosa over for erratic driving at First Street and Greenfield Drive in El Cajon.

A shot was fired at Wood, and the pick-up truck sped off, the CHP said. A woman safely jumped out of the truck at one point, and two other CHP units and an El Cajon cruiser joined the chase down First Street and East Main Street and onto Interstate 8 eastbound before exiting at Los Coches in the Lakeside area.

In the 9000 block of East Lakeview Road, the driver stopped, jumped out of his vehicle and brandished a shotgun, prompting one of the officers to fire at him, the CHP said. The shot missed.

The driver then hid beneath another car. Carrizosa was arrested by the four officers. They recovered a shotgun and a 9-mm automatic weapon.

A jail spokesman said Carrizosa was booked on suspicion of attempted murder of a police officer, possession of a dangerous weapon, possession of a martial-arts weapon, assault on a police officer, threatening a police officer, transporting narcotics, possession of a controlled substance, failure to obey an order and failure to obey right of way.