A police officer shot a man wielding a knife during an attempted carjacking in Arroyo Grande.
At approximately 6:25 a.m. on Aug. 25, officers from the Arroyo Grande Police Department responded to a report of an armed carjacking in progress at the am/pm market on Grand Avenue. The suspect allegedly attempted to rob an elderly victim at knifepoint and carjack another victim, also by knifepoint.
The suspect has been identified as 46-year-old Christopher William Allen, who is not known to the area.
Prior to the officer’s arrival, Allen fled into the brush and tree covered greenbelt area near the Shell gas station near the Highway 101 freeway entrance, according to police reports. While conducting a search, an Arroyo Grande police officer located and confronted Allen.
Allen was reported to have “displayed a knife in a threatening manner and charged toward the officer, despite being given commands to stop,” said Cmdr. Michael Martinez in a news release. “The officer fired multiple rounds and struck Allen, who was treated by medical personnel before being taken to a local hospital where he underwent surgery for his injuries.”
The officer involved in the shooting was identified as 15-year AGPD veteran Sgt. Shane Day. Day is on administrative leave while the shooting incident is being investigated by the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.
AGPD noted that a story run by The Tribune incorrectly named a local homeless man as the possible suspect.
“The misinforming story identified the wrong individual as a homeless person knick-named Rambo and provided a storyline regarding his lifestyle and actions,” said the AGPD news release. “It should be noted that the individual described in that story, who still frequents the Arroyo Grande area, is not a suspect in any crime and has not posed any threat to the public.”
