Two sheriff’s deputies were shot and injured Feb. 20 in a standoff with a suspect in Encinitas, the Sheriff’s Department announced.

At last report, the suspect was in a standoff with SWAT officers at a house in the 700 block of Del Rio Avenue in Encinitas. Carlsbad police and the sheriff’s ASTREA air support were assisting the operation, according to a Sheriff’s Department statement.

The incident began about 1 p.m. when deputies from the Encinitas Sheriff’s Station were trying to contact a car-theft suspect, the latest sheriff’s statement said. When they couldn’t locate the suspect, deputies returned to the location around 3:30 p.m., when shots were fired as they approached the suspect.

Two deputies were injured in the gunfire and taken to hospitals, authorities stated. Their names and conditions were not available at post time.

The Sheriff’s Department reported that homes have been evacuated south of Del Rio Avenue. Del Rio Avenue, Leucadia Boulevard and south Saxony Road are closed in the area, according to the report.