Police responded to the gas station Wednesday night and found East suffering from a wound to his chest, police said. He later died from his injuries.
East was one of the “most prolific drivers of his era,” the Automobile Club of America said in a statement. He had 56 USAC-sanctioned feature victories and three USAC national driving titles, the statement said.
Trent William Millsap was identified as the primary suspect in the fatal stabbing and authorities obtained a warrant for his arrest Friday, the release said.
A SWAT team was requested because “(Milsap’s) level of violence was demonstrated,” police said. As authorities tried to arrest Millsap, he allegedly got into a confrontation, was shot and later died at a hospital, according to police.
A police K-9 that was deployed to the scene also suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound, police said.
“At the time of the officer-involved shooting, Millsap was on parole for armed robbery and had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for an unrelated parole violation,” police said.
The motives for the stabbing are unknown, the police added.
Westminster police, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice will investigate the officer-involved shooting, the release said.
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