Baldwin Park Police Officer Kills Suspected Gang Member
Police: One of the suspects went for a gun that was in his pants pocket
Thursday, Jan 7, 2010 | Updated 2:48 PM PST
A suspected gang member was shot and killed in El Monte today by a Baldwin Park police officer after authorities conducted a traffic stop on a reportedly stolen vehicle occupied by the man and two other people, authorities said.
The man died at the scene of the shooting, which occurred about 4:30 a.m. in the 11200 block of Mildred Street, said Deputy Aura Sierra of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau. No officers were hurt.
Sheriff's Lt. David Dolson told Fox11 that Baldwin Park police officers followed a vehicle that had been reported stolen and conducted a traffic stop in neighboring El Monte.
Dolson said that when the vehicle stopped, two men got out and ran. The woman driving the vehicle remained at the scene and was taken into custody, Dolson said.
“One of the officers gave chase, and at a certain point in time one of the suspects went for a gun that was in his pants pocket,'' Dolson said, adding that the suspect was a gang member. “The officer feared for his safety and fired his gun, and the suspect subsequently died from his wounds.''
The officer, a two-year veteran of the force, apparently fired four shots, Dolson said, while the suspect fired none.
The search for the second man was continuing more than five hours later. Sheriff's homicide detectives were assisting police in the investigation.
