Authorities say the victim reported being beaten, pistol-whipped and strangled before escaping and calling for help.
A Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a domestic violence suspect Sunday morning after the man led deputies on a pursuit that ended on eastbound Interstate 80 near Antelope Road in Citrus Heights.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting followed a domestic violence call around 10 a.m. from the 2200 block of Zinfandel Drive in Rancho Cordova, where multiple 911 callers reported a bloodied woman running through the neighborhood and screaming for help. A nearby resident let her into a home to wait for deputies to arrive.
Investigators said the woman told them her ex-husband had beaten her over the course of three days, including pistol-whipping her and choking her until she lost consciousness. Sacramento County spokesperson Ed Igoe described the assault to reporters as severe. “Assault is an understatement,” Igoe said. The woman said another assault took place Sunday morning and that she escaped only after pretending to be dead until the suspect left the room. She also told deputies the suspect kept a pistol on him at all times, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies went to the home where the beatings occurred, but the suspect was gone. A short time later, deputies spotted his vehicle near Fair Oaks Boulevard and Kenneth Avenue and attempted a traffic stop. The suspect refused to stop, according to the sheriff’s office, and led deputies on a pursuit that continued onto eastbound I-80.
The chase ended just west of the Antelope Road exit, where deputies opened fire. The suspect was struck and pronounced dead at the scene by the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. No deputies were injured.
The shooting shut down eastbound I-80 for several hours Sunday while investigators processed the scene. Caltrans diverted traffic off at Madison Avenue, and backups stretched for miles during the closure before the freeway reopened.
The California Highway Patrol is leading the officer-involved shooting investigation. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Bureau and Professional Standards Division are conducting parallel internal reviews, and the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office will conduct an independent review, standard procedure in deputy-involved shootings.
