High speed chase ends in officer-involved shooting

Authorities say a high speed chase ended in an officer-involved shooting in King City on Tuesday night.

The California Highway Patrol said Officers Greg Aiello and Andrew Lamar, from the King City division, tried to pull over a driver who they believed was driving recklessly on Highway 101 southbound, south of King City.

According to officers, 29-year-old Kevin M. O’Flaherty did not stop and sped off, evading officers.

They said another officer put down a spike strip near the Camp Roberts East Garrison off ramp, to disable O’Flaherty’s car. Several of the tires were deflated when he drove over the strip.

CHP said O’Flaherty stopped, got out of the car and confronted them. When he began to fight with officers, one of them tased him, but CHP said it had no effect on O’Flaherty, who then tried to steal a patrol car.

When it didn’t work, O’Flaherty got out of the patrol car and pulled out a shiny object. According to officers, they believed it was a weapon and said O’Flaherty began to fight with an officer.

That’s when Officer Aiello said he began to fear for the officer’s life and fired a shot at O’Flaherty. O’Flaherty was not hit, but he dropped whatever he was holding and continued fighting with officers.

Officers tased him a second time to gain control of him. O’Flaherty was finally arrested and booked into the Monterey County Jail on numerous charges, including assault on a peace officer, attempted car-jacking of a patrol car and felony evading.