OREGON, USA — Dramatic video shows the moment Oregon state troopers rescued a 1-year-old boy after a manhunt for his father, Elias Huizar. Huizar was not only wanted for killing two people, but an Amber Alert was issued after police said he abducted his son.
It all started Monday afternoon in the tri-cities area in Washington, where Huizar shot and killed his ex-wife outside an elementary school and killed a 17-year-old at his house. The teenager was the mother of their 1-year-old son, Roman. Roman was with Huizar when the manhunt began, prompting that Amber Alert.
“That all comes into play as we're contacting the suspect,” said Captain Kyle Kennedy with the Oregon State Police, who told KGW in a one-on-one interview that protecting the child was a top concern for law enforcement that day.
“We made the decisions that would give us the highest probability of not injuring Roman and bringing Roman home safely,” Kennedy said.
After numerous tips, troopers first spotted Huizar driving south on Interstate 5. At one point, Huizar started shooting at state police. Two out of three troopers fired back, including the state police superintendent.
“To have the superintendent is rare to be involved in an incident like this," Kennedy explained. "These are very high stakes decisions … 'Can we tactically make a precision shot when we need to?' That is a question that every officer in the moment must make a decision to answer, and they don't have the luxury of time to make it.”
The state troopers and the child were not injured in the shootout. Police don't believe Huizar was, either.
“You have a strong likelihood that Roman could be between you and the suspect when you're firing verses off to the side. Either way, the decisions they are making are coming at a split second, and it's a game of inches,” said Kennedy.
The chase ended once Huizar crashed his car and shot himself. Troopers then rescued Roman, who made it out unharmed.
“This was the last positive thing that could come out of this was Roman returning home,” Kennedy said.
The three troopers, including the superintendent, who were involved in the shootout are on administrative leave as the sheriff’s office continues to investigate.
KGW has requested body and dash camera footage of the pursuit; state police said they aren’t releasing that at this time due to the ongoing investigation.