Trapped officer shoots, kills fleeing driver in San Bernardino

One man is dead from an officer-involved shooting that took place in San Bernardino on Thursday morning, according to police.

Around 9:19 a.m., two officers pulled over Albert Jose Rodriguez Jr., 48, of San Bernardino, for what police said were “multiple vehicle code violations.”

According to the Friday media release, Rodriguez was uncooperative during the stop, refusing to get out of the vehicle. He also refused orders to stop reaching inside his shirt, where a firearm was later located.

Police said officers then attempted to remove Rodriguez from the vehicle, and a struggle ensued, during which the suspect attempted to drive away.

During this flee attempt, the officer positioned on the vehicle’s passenger side reportedly leaned into the car to turn it off and unbuckle Rodriguez’s seat belt.

However, “Rodriguez continued to violently resist and managed to drive away, injuring one officer and trapping the other in the vehicle,” wrote the department.

Then, as he was driving with the trapped officer, Rodriguez attempted to grab the loaded firearm from inside his shirt.

Police said this is when the officer-involved shooting occurred.

“After the shooting, the officer had to take control of the still-moving vehicle and steer it to safety to prevent it from colliding with other motorists on the roadway,” stated the release. “Following the incident, officers recovered the firearm that Rodriguez was armed with and began administering lifesaving measures while paramedics were called to the scene.”

First responders transported Rodriguez to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. 

Officers later searched the vehicle and located “an amount of suspected narcotics.” Police did not immediately provide a specific quantity. 

The release stated “Rodriguez was a documented gang member with an extensive criminal history, which included arrests for assault with a deadly weapon, sales of narcotics, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.”

The San Bernardino Police Department is asking anyone with information related to this case to contact Detective B. Nelson at 909-384-5640 or via email at Nelson_Br@sbcity.org, or Sergeant E. Campos at 909-384-5613 or campos_er@sbcity.org.