A San Diego Harbor Police officer shot and killed a man who attempted to take his weapon and possibly zapped him with a stun gun outside a hotel in the Point Loma area, authorities said Wednesday.
San Diego police Lt. Paul Rorrison told reporters the suspect was causing a disturbance inside the lobby of the Holiday Inn on North Harbor Drive near Nimitz Boulevard and was thrown out about 30 minutes before the shooting Tuesday night.
A Harbor Police officer spotted the suspect looking into vehicles in the hotel's parking lot and made contact with him around 10:45 p.m. Rorrison said the suspect then attacked the lawman and both fell to the ground.
A struggle ensued between the suspect and the nine-year police veteran, in which the suspect attempted to get hold of the officer's gun. The officer was tased in the scuffle, according to the lieutenant.
"During the struggle, the officer's taser was deployed, striking both the officer and the suspect," Rorrison said. "The suspect continued to fight and attempted to take the officer's handgun from his holster."
The officer was eventually able to stand up, but the suspect allegedly continued to assault him and kept trying to take his weapon. Rorrison said the officer feared for his safety and that of the public, so he fired one round from his duty weapon, which struck the suspect in the torso.
Responding officers attempted to revive the suspect, but he died at the scene. His name was not immediately released.
The officer, whose name has yet to be made public, was taken to a hospital to be treated for moderate injuries, Rorrison said.
