Desert Hot Springs police shoot armed man after car chase; he survives
A Desert Hot Springs police officer shot a man when he got out of a car with a gun in his hand after a car chase, authorities said.
Police said they began chasing the car Sunday because it had been reported as linked to a kidnapping.
The man, identified as 50-year-old Jason Gieling, was at the hospital with non-life threatening injuries as of Sunday night.
Police said officers saw a car on Indian Canyon Drive and 20th Avenue around 11 a.m. Sunday. When officers realized the car was related to a kidnapping and firearm brandishing that had been reported the week prior, they tried to pull Gieling over, but he led two officers on a chase into the desert, according to a press release from Desert Hot Springs police.
An officer then shot Gieling when he got out of the car with a gun in his hand, police said. A California Highway Patrol helicopter took him to the hospital.
Police said Gieling had a felony warrant for grand theft and they recovered a handgun from the car.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the shooting under the Desert Hot Springs Police Department’s protocol, according to the city police press release.
Ani Gasparyan covers the western Coachella Valley cities of Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City. Reach her at ani.gasparyan@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Desert Hot Springs police shoot armed man after car chase
