REDDING, Calif. — A 62-year-old woman was shot and killed by Redding police on Wednesday after she allegedly drove over an officer, pinning him to the ground with her car’s tires, officials said.
Police responded to reports of a woman yelling, cursing at customers and employees of MOD pizza. She eventually left the restaurant after management tried multiple times to make her go, but she continued to cause a disturbance in the parking lot, police said.
Police responded after a security guard also tried to have her leave the parking lot. Officers found the woman sitting in the driver’s seat of a dark sedan parked outside of the restaurant.
The woman seemed to be backing out of a parking stall, getting ready to leave as officers spoke to her. According to police, after backing up a few feet, the woman stopped her car, put it in drive, and turned her wheels towards the officers, almost hitting one of them. Officers found themselves on the driver’s side of the vehicle, with one officer striking the window with his baton trying to get her to stop.
Police said the driver then put the car in reverse, turned the tires towards the officers, and accelerated backroads. One of the officers was hit by the car’s front driver’s side tires and fell to the ground, getting pinned underneath the tire.
If the suspect drove forward, the officer would have been in greater danger of being run over, police said.
The second officer drew his gun and tried to disable the car by shooting out the left rear tire. When that didn't work the officer shot the woman multiple times, killing her.
An ambulance transported the officer who was pinned by the sedan’s tires to the hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery.
The Shasta County Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation.
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident and to call 530-245-6134.
