CHP officers attempted to pull over a suspected DUI driver. Officers terminated a pursuit a few minutes later for safety reasons. Roughly an hour later, a sheriff's office deputy saw the vehicle again driving erratically on Highway 28 and attempted to pull him over. The male driver refused to stop, and a chase began. CHP officers eventually stopped the vehicle with spike strips on Highway 89. The driver got out of the car, holding his female passenger hostage at gunpoint, and walked away. Fearing for the safety and lives of the hostage and people inside the home where he was headed shot and killed him.
Victim's Name: Jose Gonzales Lera
Agency Responsible: Placer County Sheriff's Office
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Race: Hispanic
Date of Death: February 3, 2017
County: Placer
Cause of Death: Gunshot
Official Disposition: Pending investigation/No Known Charges
Criminal Charges: No known charges
Mental Illness: Drug or alcohol use
Armed: Allegedly Armed
Weapon: gun
Threat Level: attack
Fleeing: Car
Body Camera: No
Washington Post Database ID: 2281
Geography: Rural