California officer shot dead in ambush

San Francisco

An officer was shot dead and two others were injured in an ambush in Northern California's Santa Cruz County, according to officials.

Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38, was killed after a suspect attacked him and other officers in Ben Lomond of Santa Cruz County on Saturday, Sheriff Jim Hart said at a press conference, adding that a second deputy and a California Highway Patrol officer were injured, reports Xinhua news agency.

Gutzwiller responded to a 911 call concerning a suspicious van with firearms and bomb-making materials parked off the road near Jamison Creek, he said.

Deputies followed the vehicle until it stopped at a home on Waldeberg Avenue in Ben Lomond, he added.

"As deputies began investigating, they were ambushed with gunfire and multiple improvised explosives," Hart noted.

The suspect, identified by Hart as Steven Carrillo, was wounded during the arrest and transported to a hospital.

He would be charged with first-degree murder.

The residents were forced to evacuate their homes during the incident.

Officials with the district attorney's office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case.