SAPD officer and a police dog help to catch Anaheim murder suspect in Fountain Valley

By: Fountain Valley Police Department

On Tuesday, June 23, 2015 at approximately 3:30 AM, a security guard working at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital observed a suspect and vehicle answering the description of Kwame Carpenter, wanted in the city of Anaheim in connection with the deaths of two people.

The security guard alerted a Santa Ana police officer, who was at the hospital on an unrelated matter.

The Santa Ana officer, in conjunction with Fountain Valley officers, went to the location in the southeast portion of the hospital campus and contacted Carpenter, who was inside his parked 2001 Lincoln Town Car. When officers attempted to take Carpenter into custody, he refused to surrender and drove his car into a Santa Ana police car, damaging it. Carpenter then drove into an unrelated parked vehicle in an attempt to escape; that vehicle suffered significant damage as well. At that point a Fountain Valley officer fired two rounds at Carpenter as he fled the scene in his car. No one was injured as a result of the shooting.

Officers chased Carpenter north on Euclid where another collision with a parked vehicle occurred. Carpenter abandoned his car and ran into Mile Square Park and into a small lake on the north east corner of the Park. A Fountain Valley officer deployed his police service dog who chased Carpenter into the lake, and the service dog bit Carpenter. Eventually Carpenter was taken into physical custody by officers. Carpenter suffered unknown injuries as a result of the arrest by the police dog, and was turned over to Anaheim police officers. A sheriff’s department helicopter also assisted in the pursuit.

No police officers were injured during the course of this incident. The Fountain Valley Police Department is investigating Carpenter’s actions at the hospital for the potential criminal charges. The Anaheim Police Department is leading the investigation into Carpenter.

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