Carlsbad Police officer hit in head with skateboard after rock shatters windshield

CARLSBAD, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) -- A Carlsbad Police officer is in the hospital with serious injuries after he was assaulted overnight while checking his patrol car for damages.

The Carlsbad Police Department reports one of their officers, who has not yet been identified, was driving west in a marked patrol car in the 1000 block of Carlsbad Village Drive underneath the I-5 freeway at 11:15 p.m. Friday when a rock hit and damaged his patrol car's windshield and destroyed the spotlight.

The officer then pulled into a nearby parking lot to inspect the damage and called for his supervisor. While they were inspecting the damage to the patrol car, a man -- identified as Kyle McCord, 32, of San Diego -- ran up behind the officer "without warning or provocation" and hit him in the head with a skateboard, the police dept. reported in a news release.

After being hit over the head, the officer pulled out his service weapon and took cover at a nearby business as he fired at McCord three times, the police dept. says.

The Carlsbad Police sergeant at the scene chased the suspect through the parking lot and along Carlsbad Village Drive for three blocks before more police officers arrived and were able to take McCord into custody.

According to the police dept., the officer was taken to the hospital with serious head injuries and remains there for treatment.

McCord was taken to the Vista Jail and is facing charges of Attempted Murder of a Police Officer and Committing a Felony While on Bond or Release.  

The police dept. noted the officer was not engaged in enforcement activities at the time of the incident, and that nobody was hit or injured by the gunfire.  

Detectives are currently investigating whether the incident was accidental or intentional, and are working to determine if McCord was the same person that threw the rock.

This incident is under investigation by detectives from the San Diego Police Department Homicide Unit.

Carlsbad Police say McCord could be facing additional charges that will be determined by the District Attorney’s office once Detectives have completed their preliminary investigation at the scene. 

The Carlsbad Police Officer who fired his weapon has been employed since September of 2022. He is currently assigned as a patrol officer and has a total of 8 years of law enforcement experience with Carlsbad Police Department and another law enforcement agency. The police dept. did not identify him at this time.

Per the Countywide Memorandum of Understanding, the San Diego Police Homicide Unit was called to the scene to conduct the officer-involved-shooting investigation.

Detectives are collecting physical evidence from the scene, interviewing witnesses, and examining the circumstances surrounding the shooting. The skateboard used in the assault was recovered at the scene.

According to the police dept., when the Homicide Unit completes its investigation, it will be reviewed by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office to determine if the officer bears any criminal liability for his actions.

The Carlsbad Police Department will also be conducting an administrative investigation into the officer’s discharge of his firearm.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Attorney’s Office will be monitoring the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call the San Diego Police Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.