Authorities Friday released the name of a police officer who opened fire on a fleeing domestic-violence suspect in La Mesa during a Memorial Day police chase.
La Mesa police Officer Taylor Persitza fired at Jahlil Juakeen Johnson, 29, but missed as the suspect allegedly used his vehicle to ram a police cruiser in the 4400 block of Parks Avenue, according to investigators.
The events that led to the gunfire and Johnson’s subsequent arrest began shortly after 10:30 a.m. Monday, when police responded to a report of a man choking a woman in the 7700 block of Normal Avenue.
As patrol personnel arrived in the neighborhood, they saw Johnson driving off with a woman, according to police. When the officers tried to pull him over, he refused to yield.
During the ensuing chase, the suspect stopped briefly, letting the passenger out before driving away again. Officers followed, but the pursuit was terminated once they learned two young children, ages 5 and 7, were inside the vehicle.
A short time later, the suspect doubled back to where he had dropped off the woman, and let the children out as well, according to police. He drove away once more.
After crisscrossing La Mesa, Johnson pulled over near where the chase had begun, put his vehicle in reverse and backed it into the squad car with Persitza inside, according to police. The officer hit his head, investigators said, and in response, fired his handgun in the direction of the suspect vehicle.
He hit the vehicle “several times,” but not the suspect.
Johnson sped off again, leading police west into the city of San Diego and eventually back to La Mesa. The pursuit ended in the 7800 block of University Avenue, when one of Johnson’s relatives stepped in front of his vehicle, forcing him to halt.
The suspect then got out of the car and fled on foot for about two blocks before being taken into custody. Johnson was hospitalized for treatment of injuries before being booked into San Diego Central Jail on a slate of felony charges. He was being held on $1.5 million bail.
Persitza, who has been with La Mesa police for eight years, was treated and released for the injuries suffered during the pursuit.
The San Diego Police Department investigates shootings by La Mesa police personnel under terms of a 2022 countywide agreement designed to prevent conflicts of interest.
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