The San Diego County sheriff says one of them was shot in the leg. The other deputy was grazed in the head by a bullet fragment. Both are expected to be OK.
The deputies had been searching for a suspected car thief when they were fired upon late Wednesday afternoon. Police say the suspect barricaded himself inside a home and threatened to shoot anyone trying to enter. Neighbors were evacuated and surrounding roads were shut down.
Members of the sheriff's department SWAT team responded to the 700-block of Del Rio Avenue. According to a statement from the sheriff's department, deputies were seeking a suspected car thief. At about 3:30 p.m., shots were fired as deputies tried to approach the suspect.
During a news conference, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore told reporters that one deputy suffered a wound to the forehead, describing it as a "glancing" injury from a fragment to his forehead. The other deputy was shot in the leg and was originally transported to Scripps Encinitas Hospital and then moved to Scripps La Jolla Hospital, where he underwent surgery. The deputy with the head wound was originally transported to Scripps La Jolla and has been treated. He was expected to be released later Wednesday evening.
Gore said both deputies are expected to make a full recovery. Their names have not been released.
Homes south of Del Rio Avenue were evacuated as a precaution. Road closures included Del Rio Avenue, west on Leucadia Boulevard and south of Saxony Road. A command post and staging area was set up at the Magdalena Ecke YMCA on Saxony Road.
