Undercover officers shoot at man in car

Costa Mesa police shot at a San Diego man Friday while he drove a reportedly stolen car toward two undercover officers, authorities said.

Todd Gregory Laumann, 31, was to be booked at Orange County Jail on Friday evening on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and for an outstanding warrant for burglary, police said.

Laumann crashed shortly after he was shot at, and officers apprehended him a short time later, Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Marty Carver said. Laumann was taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian for treatment.

In the parking lot of the Ali Baba Motel on Newport Boulevard at about 12:15 p.m., Costa Mesa police tried to question Laumann about a stolen car report, Carver said. When Laumann refused to stop the car, an undercover officer shot at him several times as he tried to race away, driving toward the two undercover officers, Carver said. The officer who shot at Laumann feared for his life, Carver said.

The car didn’t hit the officers and Laumann was northbound on Newport Boulevard when the car slammed into the center median at Newport Boulevard and Del Mar Avenue, Carver said. Police were not chasing Laumann at that time, Carver said.

Witnesses told investigators that after the crash, Laumann ran away. Officers later tracked him down in the 2500 block of Elden Avenue, Carver said.

Laumann had minor scratches on his arm and was taken to Hoag so he could be cleared for booking, Carver said.

When an officer is involved in a shooting that doesn’t result in injury, Costa Mesa police conduct an internal investigation to make sure all policies were followed during the incident. If someone is injured or killed by a police officer, the Orange County district attorney’s shooting team would also conduct an investigation, Carver said.

Psychiatrists are made available to officers who shoot at people in the field, but a visit is not mandatory, Carver said.