A suspected car thief was hospitalized after an El Cajon police officer opened fire.
A man was shot by El Cajon police during an investigation into a stolen car from out of state, the department said Wednesday.
Keith Crenshaw, 21, from Arizona was shot at least once in the torso following an altercation at about 9 a.m. at S. Johnson Avenue just south of El Cajon Boulevard, near the Church of Christ, the El Cajon Police Department said.
Crenshaw was transported to a local hospital for treatment of his wounds and was described to be in "stable" condition.
Police were initially alerted to the stolen vehicle by an out-of-state agency. They went to S. Johnson Avenue after a tip that the vehicle would be found there, the El Cajon Police Department said.
After reportedly committing crimes in Arizona, Crenshaw drove to the city of El Cajon in the stolen car for unknown reasons, police said.
Upon arrival at the scene, they found Crenshaw asleep in the driver's seat. He awoke when police attempted to approach.
Police called for Crenshaw to put his hands up but he refused, instead reaching towards his waistband and yelling phrases like "Shoot me before I do it," according to ECPD.
That's when an officer, who has not yet been identified, fired two rounds at the suspect, striking him at least once.
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Police said they will be seeking felony charges against Crenshaw for auto theft and resisting an officer. Arizona's Probation Department said they were seeking a felony warrant as well.
"I heard was like three gunshots and then the cops yelling stay down stay down," said Pheobe Nocita, a neighbor in the area.
The suspect still did not comply with officers, police said. Eventually, he showed his hands and was taken out of the vehicle.
D'Angelo Lee, a neighbor, told NBC 7 that he was driving down the street when he saw a man on the ground and police. He later saw that man being taken by ambulance.
No officers were injured in the altercation, ECPD said.
