AZUSA - A sheriff's deputy fatally shot a man in the Azusa area who allegedly grabbed another deputy's handgun and fired it during a struggle at the end of a pursuit of a stolen vehicle, the sheriff's department reported today.
The man, about 19 years old, was shot about 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the 17000 block of Orkney Street, said Deputy Aura Sierra of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.
The incident began when deputies from the sheriff's San Dimas Station went on a brief pursuit of a vehicle that had been reported stolen, Sierra said.
"After he crashed the car, the suspect fled on foot and entered the rear yard of a residence on the north side of Orkney Street," Sierra said in a statement. "Deputies observed a bullet-proof vest and other law enforcement equipment in the backseat of the stolen car, possibly indicating that the suspect could be armed."
Deputies searched the area, assisted by a canine team, Sierra said.
"The canine ... found him in the side yard of a home in the 17000 block of Orkney Street and bit the suspect," Sierra said. "The deputies then saw the suspect fighting with the dog. The suspect also began kicking slats out of the wooden fence that bordered the yard in an attempt to escape.
"The deputies ordered the suspect to get on the ground, but he refused and continued to fight with the dog. The dog was ordered off of the suspect and deputies attempted to take him into custody, but he continued to resist and refused to show his hands.
"When the deputies got the suspect to the ground, he reached up and grabbed one of the deputies' weapons. As the deputies and the suspect struggled for control of the weapon, the suspect managed to fire several rounds from the deputy's weapon.
"Another deputy, fearing for his life and the lives of the other deputies, fired several rounds at the suspect with his duty weapon," Sierra said.
The man died at the scene. No deputies were injured.
Sheriff's homicide detectives and personnel from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office were investigating the shooting.
