California sheriff’s deputy, vehicle passenger wounded in gunfire exchange, sheriff’s office says

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — A passenger in a vehicle stopped in a hit-and-run investigation and sheriff’s deputies exchanged gunfire in southern California, wounding a deputy and the passenger, authorities said early Thursday. Both were in stable condition at a hospital.

Sheriff’s deputies had responded to a call in Palm Desert shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday “to locate the suspect of a felony hit and run,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s office said in a statement. They found a vehicle with two people inside.

As the driver was being detained, the passenger fired at deputies and at least one fired back, the sheriff’s office said. One deputy and the suspect were shot.

Both were hospitalized and were in stable condition Thursday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.

The vehicle driver, unharmed, was arrested and booked on an outstanding felony warrant.

The names of the people in the vehicle or the deputies involved in the shooting have not been released.

The deputies will be placed on paid administrative leave, the news release said.

Investigators from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office and the California Highway Patrol will lead the investigation.

Palm Desert is in California’s Coachella Valley, near Palm Springs.