Vehicle pursuit from Buena Park ends with shooting in Oceanside

A police pursuit that began in Buena Park ended in Oceanside Saturday with a shooting involving law enforcement that shut down Interstate 5 for hours, authorities said.

As of the mid-afternoon there was no update regarding the suspect or that individual’s condition.

Officers with the Buena Park Police Department attempted to pull over a motorist for a vehicle code violation at about 12:45 a.m. Saturday, near the intersection of La Palma Avenue and San Marino Drive, Buena Park Sgt. Martin Tomsick said.

The driver took off, leading officers on a pursuit through Orange County, Long Beach and back into Orange County on southbound I-5, Tomsick said.

Officers turned the pursuit over to the California Highway Patrol at 1:05 a.m., but kept their K-9 Unit involved in the chase at the request of the CHP, according to Tomsick.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office dispatched aerial drones at 2:15 a.m. to assist with finding the suspect, according to SDSO Lt. Sean Gallagher.

Tomsick said the pursuit ended in gunfire on southbound I-5 in the Camp Pendleton area and that the BPPD K-9 officer and at least one CHP officer fired their weapons at a suspect. He had no further information on the suspect or whether the person who was shot was the driver. It appeared no officers were injured, he said.

I-5 was closed in both directions, and a Sigalert was issued shortly after 2:30 a.m. between Harbor Drive in Oceanside and Christianitos Road in San Clemente, according to the CHP.

CHP Officer Hunter Gerber said northbound I-5 through Camp Pendleton was partially open for lanes 2-4 as of 9:30 a.m., while the No. 1 lane remained closed. Lanes 2-4 reopened shortly before 2 p.m., and all northbound and southbound lanes on were opened by mid-afternoon.

Traffic on southbound I-5 from San Clemente had been being diverted to the right shoulder south of Christianitos, according to Gerber.

Updated, 3:35 p.m. Nov. 22, 2025