Burbank police responding to a possible kidnapping call opened fire on a man who allegedly tried to ram them with his truck Thursday morning.
Authorities received a call about 4:10 a.m. from a woman was said she had been kidnapped, Burbank Police Department Sgt. Claudio Losacco said during a news conference.
Officers found the 36-year-old woman, no longer with the alleged kidnapper, in the 2400 block of West Victory Boulevard near the 99 Cent Store she had called from, the Police Department stated in a news release.
The woman gave investigators a detailed description of the vehicle being driven by the alleged kidnapper.
A short time later, an officer found a vehicle that matched the description and attempted to pull it over, but the driver sped away, Losacco said.
A short pursuit ensued, in which the driver of the truck ran through several red lights, according to Losacco.
The driver eventually stopped, then reversed into the police vehicle, resulting in officers opening fire, Losacco said.
The shooting took place in the area of West Victory Boulevard between North Pass Avenue and North Maple Street, said Sgt. Mayries of the Police Department.
The driver, identified as 21-year-old Arthur Papiyan, was struck in his back by one round, which had gone through the driver seat, according to the news release.
Because the round lost momentum while traveling through the seat, it did not break Papiyan’s skin, but instead caused a bruise, the Police Department stated.
Papiyan was treated at a local hospital and booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer.
Papiyan’s bail was set at $50,000.
He was scheduled to appear in court Monday morning, according to the news release.
No officers were injured in the incident, according to Mayries.
While talking to detectives, the alleged victim said she had left a house party in South Los Angeles on foot and accepted a ride from the man who drove up next to her.
She claimed the driver did not get off the freeway at her exit and then put a rag over her face.
The next thing she recalled was being out of the truck near some railroad tracks, according to the news release.
That’s when she said she walked to the 99 Cent store and called police.
Detectives have not been able to verify her story and have not booked Papiyan for kidnapping at the time of the news release.
The woman, who was not injured, was arrested for two outstanding misdemeanor prostitution warrants, the Police Department stated.
KTLA’s Alberto Mendez and Irving Last contributed to this report.
