Officers from the Hoopa Tribal Police opened fire on two people at about 1 a.m. this morning, following a chase up a 10-mile dirt road south of town.

Lt. Ed Guyer of the Hoopa Tribal Police Department told the Outpost that the two suspects in the case — a driver and a passenger — ran from the officers after they attempted to pull their vehicle over. The driver led police up Telescope Road, during which the two threw items out of their vehicle toward the pursuing officers’ car.

The chase came to a stop at the top of a ridge. Guyer said that at that point, the passenger exited the vehicle with an assault rifle and pointed it at the officers. The officers opened fire. The suspect did not fire his weapon, Guyer said.

The driver and passenger escaped on foot over the side of the ridge, Guyer said. It is unknown whether they were hit or not.

Right now, a SWAT team is searching for the suspects. The county’s Critical Incident Response Team is also on-scene investigating the officers’ use of their weapons, as it customary in such circumstances.

The Outpost will update when more information becomes available.