2 suspects hospitalized after chase leads to police shooting in San Mateo

SAN MATEO, Calif. (KGO) -- Police confirmed they are investigating a shooting involving officers from San Mateo Police Department that happened after a brief police chase Saturday night.

The incident occurred at 5:19 p.m. in the 500 block of East Hillsdale Court.

The police pursuit ended when they came to a cul de sac. This is when police say "the suspect vehicle advanced toward officers and their vehicles, an officer discharged his service weapon."

Two suspects were injured in the shooting. They were taken to a local trauma center for treatment after first being treated by paramedics at the scene, according to police.

Their conditions are not known at this time.

A neighbor, Sejal Maik, says she heard as many as 20 gunshots.

"Rapid gunshots, at least 15-20," she said.

She also told ABC7 News reporter Luz Pena it looked like about 30 officers were at the scene.

Police say this all started when an officer patrolling the Hillsdale Shopping Center noticed "a suspicious vehicle with temporary paper license plates loitering in the parking lot."

Officers believed the car was stolen because it was a Chevrolet but the temporary plates were registered to a Honda.

When officers tried to pull the car over, they say it drove away.

"The occupants appeared to be throwing credit cards out of the vehicle along S El Camino Real at 31st Avenue," police said.

During the police chase, the Chevy allegedly hit another car in the 400 block of E Hillsdale Blvd and continued to flee toward E Hillsdale Court.

This is when the chase ended in the cul de sac.

"Seconds later, as officers exited their police vehicles to approach the suspects for apprehension, the suspect vehicle advanced toward officers and their vehicles. An officer discharged his service weapon striking the two occupants in the vehicle," the police report says.

Here is a statement from San Mateo PD on how the incident will be handled:

As with any officer-involved critical incident, San Mateo County protocol is followed. There are three concurrent, independent investigations that take place. The first investigation focuses on the crime at hand and is conducted by the San Mateo Police Department. The second investigation focuses on the use of force and is conducted independently by the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office. The third investigation will be administrative to ensure the officer acted within policy and is conducted by the San Mateo Police Department.

This investigation is ongoing and information is preliminary at this time. Should further information become available, an update will be issued. We understand the impact of this event. Incidents like these are difficult and we appreciate our community's patience throughout the investigative review process.