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Public Safety

SDPD Arrest One In Shooting Incident Along Marathon Route

Map of active shooter location on C Street between Second and Third Avenues on June 3, 2018.
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Map of active shooter location on C Street between Second and Third Avenues on June 3, 2018.

Update 5:50 p.m., June 3, 2018

San Diego police have identified the woman involved in a shooting incident near the Rock 'n'Roll Marathon on Sunday. They say she is 58-year-old Mona Elease Williams.

The police department's homicide unit is investigating the case.

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Update 3:48 p.m., June 3, 2018:

A bizarre kidnapping in Chula Vista ended with a shooting incident next to the Rock'n'Roll Marathon today, as 4,900 runners were delayed by the "active shooter'' situation near the downtown San Diego finish line for the Rock'n'Roll marathon.

A woman who had been pointing her gun at her own head was arrested, moments after she threw her weapon off the top of an eight-story parking garage near the marathon finish line. One San Diego police officer shot himself in his leg with his service weapon, but was not critically injured.

But many of the 4,900 marathon runners were corralled in a safe area near the shooting incident, as police scrambled with crowd control, the downed officer, the apparently-suicidal woman and the tossed gun.

Chula Vista police received a call this morning from a man who said he had been kidnapped, bound and gagged by a woman, San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit told reporters. At about the same time, a woman with the same description was involved in a traffic crash in downtown San Diego.

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"We believe these two incidents are going to be tied together,'' Nisleit said.

The hit-and-run crash was around 10:45 a.m near the intersection of West A Street and Kettner Boulevard, the police chief said. About five minutes later, a woman suspected of being involved in the crash pulled her car into Civic Center Plaza Parkade, near the intersection of A Street and First Avenue.

An officer tried to make contact with the woman, and she pointed what appeared to be a black handgun at him, Nisleit said.

"She had a gun in her hand most of the time during this incident,'' he said.

One officer fired "multiple rounds,'' at the woman, though she was

apparently not injured. One officer accidentally shot himself in his leg, and was taken to a hospital, Nisleit said. The officer is expected to make a full recovery.

No other injuries were reported in the incident.

The woman threw her weapon -- which is now believed to be an Airsoft pellet gun -- down onto the pavement below the garage before she was arrested, Nisleit said.

The incident caused brief disruptions to the marathon and half-marathon events, which both had their finish lines nearby.

The course was shut down by 11:45 a.m., and about 4,900 athletes were rerouted to a designated safe zone, according to a statement from the Rock'n'Roll Marathon. Police allowed runners to resume their progress toward the finish area a few minutes later, at 11:53 a.m.

The San Diego Padres also issued a statement saying San Diego police have confirmed it is safe to proceed with today's 3:10 p.m. game at Petco Park, around a mile away from the incident.

Update 2:25 p.m., June 3, 2018:

In a media briefing, San Diego police said the shooting incident near the San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon was related to a kidnapping in Chula Vista earlier today, and a subsequent traffic crash in downtown San Diego.

Police said the suspect, a woman in her 50s, was armed with an air pistol, which she threw off the top floor of a parking garage when confronted by police. She was arrested and one police officer shot himself in the foot in the incident.

Original story:

One person was arrested as an "active shooter'' was reported by San Diego police along the route for the San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon today.

The incident was reported at 11:09 a.m. at C Street between Second and Third avenues, in downtown San Diego. The finish lines for the half and full marathons are near that location.

Minutes later, police told City News Service in San Diego that the situation "had been contained.''

Fox5 San Diego reported that a woman was firing rounds and holding a gun to her mouth on the eight floor of the Civic Center parking garage, and that a woman was taken into custody.

And a reporter for KFMB-TV News8 tweeted that a San Diego police officer had accidentally shot himself in the foot during the incident.

In the aftermath, the marathon and half marathon were continuing.

SDPD officers told CNS a statement would be issued at some place downtown today.

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