Suspected Car Thief Fatally Shot By Police In Paramount

LOS ANGELES, CA — Two people led authorities on a chase in an allegedly stolen van in the South Gate and Paramount areas Monday, then bailed from the vehicle and tried to run away, with one suspect being fatally shot by police during the foot chase.

The chase, believed to have originated in South Gate, led to the general area of Cherry Avenue north of Artesia Boulevard around 1 p.m. The driver of the van pulled into a store parking lot, and two occupants — appearing to be a man and a woman — got out and ran away along railroad tracks near the business.

As the pair fled, both with backpacks, the male suspect pulled something out of his pack and appeared to point it at police, leading officers to open fire. The suspect fell to the ground and was eventually pronounced dead at the scene.

The female suspect continued to flee and was apparently holed up in a small building near the shooting scene, starting a standoff that continued early Monday afternoon.

One report indicated that a third suspect had been in the van, but got out early in the chase and surrendered to police.

— City News Service, photo via Shutterstock