CARLSBAD — Authorities have publicly identified a patrolman who shot a teenage boy in the arm last weekend when the youth allegedly pointed a gun toward police during a confrontation near Carlsbad State Beach.
Carlsbad police Officer Marcos Bocanegra fired his weapon at the 16-year-old boy in a dirt lot next to the intersection of Carlsbad Boulevard and Palomar Airport Road early Saturday, according to the San Diego Police Department, which investigates police shootings in the North County city under the terms of a countywide anti-conflict-of-interest agreement.
The events that led to the non-fatal law enforcement shooting began about 12:45 a.m., when Carlsbad police contacted five people inside a white truck — and adult and four minors — parked in the coastal neighborhood south of Agua Hedionda Lagoon, SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell said.
Noticing alcoholic beverages inside the vehicle, officers began directing the occupants to get out for questioning. One member of the group, a boy sitting in a front passenger seat, did so, then began reaching under the seat.
Despite officers’ orders to stop what he was doing, the teen produced a gun and turned in the direction of one of the officers. At that point, Bocanegra opened fire, discharging a single round, Campbell said.
The injured teen then ran toward the ocean and either jumped or fell down the side of a sea bluff, Campbell said. Officers gave chase, took the youth into custody and provided him with emergency care, including the use of a tourniquet.
Paramedics took the boy to a hospital for treatment of a bullet wound to his right arm. He has since been booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest and illegal possession of a firearm. His name has been withheld because he is a minor.
Near where the boy was apprehended, police found an unserialized ghost gun, the lieutenant said.
Bocanegra has been employed by the Carlsbad Police Department since May, Campbell said.
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