First published in the Sept. 4 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
A woman remained hospitalized in critical condition after being shot by at least one California Highway Patrol officer in Glendale while carrying multiple firearms on a freeway interchange, authorities said.
The CHP has disclosed little other information on the shooting, which occurred a week ago and remains under investigation by the agency. The incident took place shortly after the woman called the CHP to report that her vehicle was disabled on the southbound 2 Freeway connector to the eastbound 134 Freeway, the agency said. Officers assigned to the Altadena CHP station were dispatched to the site at around 9:11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 28.
When they arrived, according to a CHP statement, the woman’s vehicle was blocking the right lane on the interchange ramp and she was standing outside and carrying “more than one firearm.” After unsuccessfully ordering her to drop the weapons, at least one of the officers shot the woman, who fell off the ramp and onto the westbound 134 lane below, CHP said.
The CHP has not said what specific actions by the woman preceded the shooting.
The incident closed all westbound lanes of the 134 approaching the 2, in addition to the connector ramp and offramp to Harvey Avenue, for nine hours as officers investigated and collected evidence from the scene.
Fire Chief Silvio Lanzas said one unit from the Glendale Fire Department responded to the scene, using surface streets to reach the woman lying near the berm at the bottom of a hill off the 134. Lanzas said that she had multi-system trauma and that a GFD ambulance brought her to Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, the nearest trauma center.
Officer Shanelle Gonzalez, the public information officer for the CHP Southern Division’s office in Glendale, said did not know any further details. Gonzalez said the woman was “possibly in her 50s,” but was unable to describe or name her or say where she resided.
Any motorists who may have information about the shooting are asked to contact CHP’s Southern Division at (818) 240-8200.
