Several officers wounded in shootout with ambush suspect

By STEFANIE DAZIO and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Several police officers were wounded in separate shootouts in California with a man suspected of ambushing and seriously injuring a deputy a day earlier. Scores of police officers have been searching for Mason James Lira since early Wednesday when authorities said he opened fire on the Paso Robles police station on California’s Central Coast and then shot a San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s deputy in the face. The deputy is in serious condition. Lira was located around 3 p.m. Thursday and a police officer was wounded in an exchange of gunfire. Later, after a second shootout, a San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department spokesman said several officers were wounded and the suspect was in custody.