SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio police shot and killed a wanted man who authorities say was causing chaos on I-10 in the area of South New Braunfels, shooting at highway traffic and attempting to steal a car in order to escape police trying to arrest him.
An officer with the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) was also hospitalized after he was shot in the arm in the Wednesday-afternoon incident. He was later identified as Jason Owen, an eight-year SAPD veteran. He is expected to be OK.
Chief William McManus said the suspect had “a violent history,” and expressed visible frustration while speaking to news media for the second time in less than a week about an incident in which police trying to detain a wanted felon resulted in the hospitalization of an officer.
“I remain concerned about people who are on the street who should be in jail because they are habitual offenders, especially the violent crime habitual offenders,” McManus said. “It’s frustrating. It’s frustrating for everybody in this department.”
According to McManus, street crimes detectives were tracking the suspect, identified as Michael Kirkland, who was wanted on multiple warrants, including aggravated assault on a public servant. He noticed police while on the access road in the area I-10 and South New Braunfels, and proceeded to crash into a patrol car as well as another vehicle.
The suspect then left his own car, McManus says, and started “firing at cars going by... trying to stop them to carjack them" after making his way onto the highway. The suspect allegedly shot at and hurt one woman after she refused to give up her car.
At some point, an unspecified number of SAPD officers shot at the suspect, killing him.
>Watch Chief McManus' full update below.
A woman was initially riding with the suspect was also detained; it’s unknown if she’ll face any charges. The officer who was hurt is in stable condition.
The highway reopened just before 7 p.m. after being closed off to commuters for several hours.
This is the 13th shooting involving San Antonio police officers so far in 2023.
This is a developing story. Check back with KENS5.com for updates.
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