U.S. Marines from Lima Company 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines return fire during a shootout with Taliban fighters in Karez-e-Sayyidi, in the outskirts of Marjah district
U.S. Marines from Lima Company 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, return fire during a shootout with Taliban fighters in Afghanistan's Karez-e-Sayyidi, in the outskirts of Marjah district, Helmand province, on May 15, 2010. REUTERS

A Marine was fatally shot by police officers in Palm Springs, Calif., after he reportedly ignored their orders to pull over and attempted to hit one of them with his car.

The deceased man, who has been identified as Cpl. Allan DeVillena II, was a member of the 1st Marine Logistics Group at Camp Pendleton, ABC News reported.

Bike officers first ordered a stop on the vehicle DeVillena was driving, several media accounts of the incident said. DeVillena ignored their orders, authorities said, and when one officer partially climbed into the passenger side window of DeVillena car, he accelerated and hit the other policeman, whose partner was still hanging out of the car window.

DeVillena continued driving, with the officer clinging onto the window, until the car crashed near a garage exit, reports said.

The police officers then opened fire on DeVillena, killing him.

"In the course of these events, fearing for their safety, and the safety of others, both officers discharged their weapons," authorities said.

A fellow 1st Logistics Marine was with DeVillena in the car. He was unhurt in the shooting, and was arrested and released by police, who were investigating him for public intoxication and an unrelated misdemeanor warrant.

Authorities said they found a smartphone in the vehicle that DeVillena had been driving. The device was reported stolen by an individual, whose identification was also found in DeVillena's pants, officials said.

According to DeVillena's father, his son was out celebrating the Marine Corps' 237th birthday with fellows corpsman. DeVillena had served in Afghanistan, and he was only a few months shy of completing his four-year enlistment tour. His father said DeVillena had planned to attend college for audio engineering after leaving the Marines.

He wanted to get into recording. He wrote a lot. He had a passion for music,” DeVillena's father said.