A man mistaken for an individual wanted in a robbery was wounded in a police shooting in La Puente after a short chase, authorities said Tuesday.
It was later discovered the suspect was not involved in the original robbery call, but was driving a stolen vehicle, police said. No other injuries were reported.
The shooting by a West Covina Police Department officer occurred about 11:30 p.m. Monday in the 1300 block of Sandy Hook Avenue and Los Angeles County Sheriff's detectives are assisting police with the investigation into the shooting, according to Deputy Trina Schraeder with the Sheriff's Information Bureau.
A West Covina Police officer heard a radio call of a robbery that had just occurred and while trying to locate a possible suspect, he noticed an older model Honda being driven at high speed, Schraeder said. The officer believed the vehicle was involved in the robbery and attempted to stop the driver, who led the officer on a minute-long chase into La Puente that ended with a crash at Hacienda Boulevard and Maplegrove Street, she said.
The suspect ran from the vehicle and the officer followed him in his patrol vehicle to the 1300 block of Sandy Hook Avenue, where he tried to arrest the man, Schraeder said. During the attempted arrest, the shooting occurred, she said.
The suspect suffered a non-life threatening wound to the upper body and was taken to the hospital, Schraeder said.
