CHP Officers Wound Driver After 25-Mile Freeway Chase
Officers shot and critically injured a distraught motorist who appeared to be reaching for a gun in his truck after a 25-mile freeway chase Wednesday, authorities said.
A wrench but no weapon was found in Michael James Ackley’s truck after he was shot three times on Interstate 10 about 65 miles southeast of Los Angeles by California Highway Patrol officers, according to a CHP spokesman.
Ackley, 42, of Morongo Valley, was in critical condition after undergoing surgery at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
The shooting culminated an hourlong standoff that backed up traffic for three miles on the heavily traveled interstate.
From his truck, Ackley shouted obscenities at CHP officers and said he wanted them to shoot him. He kept his arms hanging out the window, but at one point leaned down into the cab to grab what officers believed was a gun, the CHP said.
“The officers reacted in self-defense and fired several times,” a spokesman said.
The chase began in Whitewater when officers tried to stop Ackley for alleged reckless driving. The shooting took place after the pickup blew two tires.
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