UPDATE: All Lanes Reopened on Southbound I-15 After Officer-Involved Shooting

FOR STORY UPDATE

UPDATE 11:15 a.m.: All lanes have been reopened on southbound Interstate 15 through Lake Elsinore after being closed for a CHP investigation into an officer-involved shooting. The California Highway Patrol reported all lanes reopened at 10:58 a.m.

CHP Temecula-area spokesman Officer Nathan Baer confirmed the reopening and the SigAlert was taken down at 10:44 a.m., according to CHP dispatchers.

UPDATE: All major roads leading into Lake Elsinore have been flooded by traffic diverted from the southbound Interstate 15, stalling motorists for miles.

UPDATE:

Traffic on the southbound Interstate 15 is backed up from Railroad Canyon Road, past Central Avenue.

Authorities are not immediately releasing the status of the officers or suspect, though no one was shot.

The suspect vehicle was a red Honda Civic, according to CHP Officer Mario Lopez on scene.

All lanes on the southbound I-15 may reopen by noon, the officer said.

ORIGINAL STORY:

An officer involved shooting early this morning on the southbound I-15 in Lake Elsinore snarled rush hour traffic for a time as investigators sorted out the details.

The incident was reported just south of Railroad Canyon Road shortly before 2 a.m., prompting officials to shut down southbound traffic lanes and divert motorists to Diamond Drive, the CHP reported.

According to California Highway Patrol Officer Mario Lopez, two CHP officers, each of them in a cruiser, were chasing a suspect vehicle when all vehicles crashed.

“Shots were fired at the termination but there were no injuries as a result of the shooting," Lopez said.

The crash and shooting are under investigation and Riverside County sheriff's deputies are assisting in the investigation.

In the meantime, traffic in the area has stalled and motorists on Mission Trail have come to a standstill, Patch has learned.

The northbound lanes remained open but traffic was moving slowly and though the estimated time for closure of the southbound lane was about four hours, only the far right lane had been reopened as of 8:30, the CHP reported.

The two far right lanes were to remain closed on the southbound side until further notice, the CHP reported.