Police Kill 2 Burglary Suspects In Santa Ana
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — Police shot and killed two burglary suspects in Santa Ana Thursday afternoon, according to Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department.
Around 3 p.m., police got a call about a burglary on Eastwood Avenue. When officers arrived, they said they saw four suspects in the backyard of a house. At least one was armed.
An officer fired his gun. Two suspects died at the scene. A gun was discovered near the body of one of the suspects. Two other suspects were arrested. No officers were hurt.
Neighbors said they heard four gunshots then silence and dozens of police cruisers rushed to the scene.
The shooting happened about 5 miles from the 2700 block of West McFadden Avenue, where a documented gang member and parolee, Carlos Michael Rodriguez, shot at an officer and grazed his head Wednesday. The officer returned fire and wounded the 30-year-old Santa Ana man.
Rodriguez now faces a charge of attempted murder of a police officer. He was paroled in September after serving eight years in prison for assault with a gun on a Santa Ana police officer in separate case.
Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas said he is concerned the number of shootings in the city is soaring. "We're seeing a lot of gang activity. We're seeing a lot of shootings. We've had over 50 shootings since the first of the year in the city of Santa Ana."
Compare that number to 250 shootings in the entire year of 2015.