Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office: Suspect tried to run over deputy during patrol stop

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KGO) -- A Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputy is recovering after one of the people he detained during a patrol stop near Paradise Park tried to run him over.

Residents who live in the area, just north of Santa Cruz, are disturbed by what happened early Friday morning in their secluded neighborhood. "People that just are in this area going out for a walk and stuff can't really feel safe anymore," Santa Cruz resident Clay Wiseman said.

Around 3:30 a.m., two Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies encountered a man and a woman parked off to the side of Ocean St. Extension and moving items between two vehicles. Deputies ran the plates and discovered one of the vehicles had been reported as stolen out of San Jose.

RELATED: Suspect shot, deputy injured in officer-involved shooting in Santa Cruz

One suspect was shot and a deputy injured during a confrontation early Friday morning on Ocean Street Extension.

The suspects were then detained in separate patrol cars, so deputies could determine who was driving which vehicle. That's when things took a violent turn. "While deputies interviewed the man, the woman was able to slip out of her handcuffs, reach through a partially open window in the patrol car, and open a door," Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart said. " The woman then entered the driver's side of the patrol car, and without warning, drove the vehicle directly at one of the deputies, striking him, and damaging both patrol cars."

The second deputy fired several rounds, hitting the female suspect three times. CPR was administered to her on scene and she was airlifted to a nearby trauma center, where as of Friday afternoon, she remained in the intensive care unit. The deputy hit by the cruiser is expected to be okay.

The sheriff's office had been increasing its patrols in the area after getting complaints from neighbors in recent months. "A habitation for prostitution, drug use, people bring their garbage and dump it out of the trucks down there," Santa Cruz resident Allen Hasty said.

Video of the incident, which was captured by the deputies' body-worn cameras, will be released next week by the sheriff's office. The female suspect now faces attempted murder charges.