Motorist shot and killed by Elk Grove police during chase with law enforcement
Elk Grove police officers shot and killed a motorist after he led officers and Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies on a vehicle pursuit into south Sacramento, authorities announced Sunday morning.
The driver fired multiple shots during the chase that wound its way into the Lemon Hill neighborhood, striking a Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle in the process, according to audio dispatches reviewed by The Sacramento Bee and a social media post by the Elk Grove Police Department.
The chase began shortly before 11:45 p.m. and ended less than an half hour later at 69th Street and Lemon Hill Avenue in south Sacramento. The motorist was pronounced dead by fire personnel, the Police Department said.
According to audio dispatches, a female passenger was detained at the scene. The passenger was not injured, according to a news release from the Police Department. No officers or deputies were injured in the incident, police said.
It’s not known what prompted officers to try and stop a Ford Explorer near Auberry and Spengler drives, just north of Calvine Road. An officer radioed dispatchers that the vehicle did not have license plates. After the motorist sped off, officers pursued the vehicle through parts of south Sacramento County, police said. Deputies from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office later joined the pursuit.
The police said that the suspect fired shots near Sunrise Greens Drive and Elsie Avenue. Officers pursued the suspect northbound on Highway 99 before he exited onto westbound Florin Road. The suspect’s vehicle reached speeds of 80 mph in a residential area near Florin High School while being pursued.
When the driver attempted to make a U-turn at 69th Street and Lemon Hill Avenue, a Elk Grove police officer rammed the Ford Explorer with their patrol car, the news release said. Officers then fired at, and struck, the driver.
Police said a handgun was recovered at the scene.
Given the officer-involved shooting occurred within the city of Sacramento, the Sacramento Police Department will investigate the incident, Elk Grove police said. Additionally, the Elk Grove Police Department and the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office will conduct independent reviews of the incident.
The Sheriff’s Office will conduct a separate investigation into the shots fired by the suspect that struck the patrol car, the news release stated. No sheriff deputies discharged their weapons, according to radio dispatches.
The Police Department said investigators were in the process of collecting body-worn and in-car camera footage and “will work to release the footage as soon as possible.”
The two Elk Grove officers who discharged their weapons were placed on administrative leave in accordance with department policy.
Sunday’s incident was the first officer-involved shooting for the agency in two years. In February 2023, three Elk Grove officers shot and wounded a 22-year-old man suspected of killing a Rancho Cordova woman. Three weeks later, an officer-involved shooting took place at a hotel on West Stockton Boulevard following a disturbance call. The Coroner’s Office has not determined whether Booker Pannell was killed by the officer’s gunfire or a self-inflicted gunshot, according to the department.
This story was originally published February 2, 2025 at 10:28 AM.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story gave incorrect information regarding a Feb. 22, 2023, officer-involved shooting as the Coroner’s Office has yet to determine who fired the fatal shot that killed Booker Pannell during a Feb. 22, 2023, disturbance call at a Holiday Inn Express.
