sabato 26 novembre 2011

Suspected bank robber kills police officer during chase — Vallejo, CA


A Vallejo police officer was shot and killed Thursday during a foot chase after a bank robbery suspect lost control of his car and ran into a backyard, authorities said.

The officer, James Capoot, a respected 19-year veteran of the Vallejo Police Department and the married father of three daughters, was driving alone in his cruiser just after 1:30 p.m. when he came across a fleeing silver SUV wanted in a robbery that had just occurred at the Bank of America at Springstowne Center on Springs Road.
Vehicle chase

Capoot chased the sport utility vehicle for 3 to 4 miles before using his cruiser to do a “pit maneuver” that forced the SUV to spin out of control on the 100 block of Janice Street, said Vallejo police Sgt. Jeff Bassett.

At least one suspect fled on foot, and Capoot got out of his car and ran after him as two other police officers were pulling up in their cars, Bassett said. Those two officers heard several gunshots and found Capoot wounded in a backyard, Bassett said.

Capoot, 45, of Vacaville was pronounced dead about an hour later at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Vallejo, where colleagues gathered after the shooting.

“The officer did not discharge his weapon,” Bassett said.

Police arrested one suspect near the scene of the shooting and said they could not rule out whether a second suspect was involved. Vallejo was assisted by officers from Benicia, Fairfield, Vacaville, the California Highway Patrol and the Solano County Sheriff’s Office in a search of the neighborhood just north of Highway 37.

The slaying has shaken a police force still reeling from budget cuts and the departure of dozens of officers since 2008, when the cash-strapped city of 117,000 declared bankruptcy. Some veteran officers left voluntarily in hopes of preventing younger officers from losing their jobs. A federal judge released the city from bankruptcy earlier this month.

Bassett said Capoot was one of six police officers patrolling the streets during the day shift when the shooting occurred. The officers were all working solo at the time. Bassett said officers are typically paired up to patrol the streets during night shifts.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/17/BA691M0POT.DTL#ixzz1e5qjGnEm

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