Suspect in critical condition after police shooting

Tuesday December 17, 2002

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) A fugitive who was shot multiple times during a standoff following a police chase was in critical condition Tuesday.

Amp Siharath, 23, was struck three times by gunfire after 11 police officers fired 60 to 70 rounds following a chase Monday night, said Sgt. Herman Silva.

The pursuit started in nearby Clovis after a bail bondsman pursuing Siharath on several drug warrants called police for help.

Siharath rammed three police cruisers as he fled and then drove erratically during the 14-minute chase that ended when he lost control of the vehicle at a busy intersection in Fresno.

His girlfriend, who was in the car begged him to stop, Silva said.

But Siharath replied: ``If they are going to take me, you are going to die with me.''

Officers fired because they thought their lives were in jeopardy, Silva said.

The girlfriend, the mother of the suspect's two children, was unharmed.

Even after being shot twice in the chest and once in the leg, Siharath continued to struggle. Blood tests revealed cocaine and methamphetamine in his system.

Siharath was recovering at University Medical Center. He is accused of several counts of assault with a deadly weapon and a number of driving infractions.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)