SAN DIEGO — Two motorcycle officers shot a man, fatally wounding him, when he allegedly pulled a gun on them as they chased him through the Gaslamp District Tuesday afternoon.

The 39-year-old suspect, who was later found to be the subject of an outstanding armed robbery warrant out of Virginia, bolted when one of the officers tried to contact him about making a disturbance and interfering with traffic near Horton Plaza about 2 p.m., according to San Diego police.

The man ran to the south on Sixth Avenue, ignoring repeated orders to halt, Capt. David Nisleit told reporters. Reaching F Street, the suspect allegedly turned toward his pursuers and pulled a pistol out of his waistband.

Fearing for their lives, the officers opened fire on the man, who fell onto the roadway, Nisleit said. He then began to sit up and raise the weapon again, prompted them to shoot him again.

Medics took the man to UCSD Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. His name was withheld pending family notification.

Police shut down the intersection where the shooting occurred along with nearby traffic lanes to allow detectives to gather evidence.

The officers involved in the shooting did not activate their uniform- worn cameras before or during the encounter, the captain told reporters in response to a question on the topic. It was unclear why they failed to follow that department procedure, which is supposed to take place prior to all citizen contacts.

One of the officers has been with the SDPD for 30 years and the other for 25 years, police said.

Police have identified the suspect but his name was being withheld pending family notifications.

Virginia authorities had warned that he should be considered armed and dangerous, police said, but that was apparently unknown to the officers at the time of the shooting.