A man being pursued on foot by police officers collapsed and lay bleeding in the middle of a Santa Ana street after he injured himself by running into a window on Thursday, officials said.
The 34-year-old man was wanted on suspicion of violating the terms of his parole, according to Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna. Authorities have not released his name.
The man was in a strip mall on Grand Avenue just south of the 22 Freeway, on the border of Santa Ana and Orange, when he was spotted by Orange police officers shortly before 2 p.m.
The man began running when the uniformed officers got out of an unmarked car, police said, and they began chasing him.
As the parolee ran past Buccaneer Pizza, at 2757 N. Grand Ave., he somehow collided with the window, shattering it and critically injuring himself, authorities said.
That's when Santa Ana police were called to the scene, because others in the area heard the glass break and thought it was gunshots, according to Bertagna.
After that, however, the parolee continued to flee, leaving a trail of blood behind him. He ran through a Del Taco parking lot and onto Grand Avenue, where he collapsed, officials said.
Footage from the scene showed shoes and other clothing had been discarded in the Del Taco parking lot, which was taped off as detectives combed the scene.
According to witnesses, the man appeared to be under the influence of drugs.
Patrick O'Donnell, who was eating at the Del Taco, said it appeared he lost "quarts of blood" but still tried to evade police after being cut by glass shards.
"Two officers (were) behind about 3 feet, and he alone went into the street and got real dizzy and almost was collapsing," he told KTLA. "That's when they got to him and put him on the ground."
Numerous officers began rendering aid to the man, who was bleeding profusely from his torso and arm, O'Donnell said.
Keith Hodges, who was with O'Donnell, said he retrieved towels from his van at the request of an officer so they could be used to stem the bleeding.
Paramedics responded and the man was hospitalized. He remained in critical condition follow surgery Thursday but was expected to survive, officials said.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident, and no further details were available.