Fullerton Officers Fatally Shoot Reckless Driver at End of Pursuit in Bellflower

A driver who led Fullerton police on a chase from Fullerton to Bellflower was shot to death in an officer-involved shooting Tuesday morning when he tried to run over officers who had pursued him onto a dead-end street near the border of Cerritos.

No officers were injured in the shooting, which took place around 3 a.m. Tuesday on Palo Verde Avenue near Artesia Boulevard, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Deputy Irys Alvarez.

The suspect, later identified as Christopher Shull, 25, of Anaheim, died at the scene, according to the coroner's office.

Sheriff's Lt. Dave Coleman said Fullerton officers began chasing the SUV around 2:40 a.m. after noticing it was being driven erratically near the Riverside (91) Freeway and the Santa Ana (5) Freeway.

According to the preliminary investigation, the chase led onto freeways and ended up on northbound Palo Verde Avenue, just north of Artesia Boulevard, which is a dead-end street, Coleman said.

"The vehicle and suspect continued northbound ... (and) apparently the suspect hit the end of the cul-de-sac, found that it was a dead end, and tried to escape," Coleman said.

"At some point, while he was driving southbound on Palo Verde Avenue, a collision occurred between the Fullerton police (car) and the suspect (vehicle). The suspect was able to turn around again -- again going northbound on Palo Verde -- and dead-ended against the 91 Freeway.

"The vehicle came to a rest," Coleman said. "Multiple officers exited their vehicles, at which time the suspect tried to run over several officers, and an officer-involved shooting occurred."

Coleman said the suspect apparently "was backing up at a high rate of speed towards the officers" when he was shot.

This is a second time in less than five days that an officer-involved shooting in Bellflower has resulted in the death of a suspect. On Friday, Aug. 24, a Los Angeles County . 

- City News Service contributed to this report.