Why The Police Freaked Out During Last Week's Manhunt

Understandable:

Among the newly released details is the fact that authorities found out during the course of their search Friday that the suspect, later identified as 38-year-old Jimmy Lee Graves, had stolen a high-powered and "extremely dangerous" rifle from the machine shop where the manhunt began, said Sgt. Nathan Steele, spokesman for the West Sacramento Police Department.

The Remington Model 700 rifle is the same used by most police snipers, Steele said, and has a reach of more than 400 yards. It is a legal weapon often used for hunting.

Police later discovered Graves dumped the rifle a few blocks from the machine shop, and that he never had ammunition for it, Steele said. But before police had that information, Steele said authorities had to assume he was armed and capable of "catastrophe" - playing into their decision to keep Interstate 80 closed between Sacramento and Davis for six hours.

...Steele also said police later learned that when Graves fired upon the arriving employees, he narrowly missed hitting one of them: One victim had a through-and-through bullet hole in his loose-fitting shirt.

"We're not talking about him shooting in the air," Steele said. "He was shooting at them and actually hit ... this guy's shirt."

...Graves then jumped from the car, running with gun in hand and carjacked a pickup truck in front of the officer, Steele said. "Fearing for public safety and his own safety," the officer then fired at Graves, but missed.

The officer again was in pursuit of Graves when the suspect let go of the steering wheel, leaned out the truck's window and fired with two hands at the officer pursuing him, Steele said. The officer swerved and was not hit.