CBP official fires at man driving truck at him

By Angelica Martinez
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
5:24 p.m. July 30, 2009

SAN DIEGO — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection veteran fired one shot at a man who drove his pickup truck at the officer in a parking garage early Thursday morning in the Grantville neighborhood of San Diego.

The man was not hit by the shot, but he stopped his truck and was arrested on suspicion of vehicle burglary, said San Diego police Lt. Terry McManus.

The CBP officer, a supervisor, was in uniform as he was walking about 1:20 a.m. to his vehicle at his residence at the La Mirage apartment complex on Ambrosia Drive north of Friars Road. He had been called to respond to an incident at the U.S.-Mexico border.

He saw two men breaking into a vehicle parked in the complex garage and confronted them. One ran and the officer chased him.

When the officer lost sight of the suspect, he returned to the garage and saw the second burglar inside driving a white pickup. That was not the vehicle being burglarized, McManus said.

The man refused to stop and drove directly at the officer, who was standing about 50 feet away. The officer feared for his life and fired one round, McManus said.

Nicholas Burnthon, 22, was arrested on suspicion of vehicle burglary and assault on a law-enforcement officer.

San Diego Police officers arrested the second man at 2:20 a.m. about a half-mile away at Rancho Mission Road and San Diego Mission Road. Andrew Sigsbee, 23, was arrested on suspicion of vehicle burglary, McManus said.

The CBP officer, a 21-year veteran, was not identified.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call police at (619) 531-2293.

Angelica Martinez: (619) 293-1317;

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