Pasadena Teen Shot By Off-Duty Agent Had Replica Gun, Police Say

ARCADIA, CA — A weapon recovered at the scene of an officer-involved shooting in May in Arcadia that left a 15-year-old robbery suspect dead and a second teen wounded turned out to be realistic replica handgun, the Sheriff's Department announced Thursday.

The coroner's office has identified the boy who was fatally shot by an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer as Darrius Smith of Pasadena. He died at a hospital about 5:30 a.m. may 27.

According to the sheriff's department, Smith and two other teen boys assaulted and tried to rob the officer at gunpoint about 8:15 p.m. Friday near First Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.

The officer was walking in the 400 block of First Avenue when he encountered the trio, who tried to rob him using what appeared to be a handgun, prompting him to shoot two of the three, authorities said.

Metro Gold Line video footage shows the suspects and victim riding a train. The officer exited at the Arcadia Station and walked north on First Avenue, followed by the suspects, according to the sheriff's department.

"Video shows the subjects running up on the victim where the robbery and shooting occurred," according to a sheriff's statement. "After the shooting, 15-year-old subject Smith is seen running away with another 15-year- old subject, north on First Avenue and then east on Colorado Boulevard."

Smith was found by Arcadia police officers about a half block from the shooting scene, with two gunshot wounds to his upper body and two to his buttocks. The other 15-year-old was found uninjured at a nearby residence and was taken into custody, the sheriff's department reported.

A 14-year-old boy wounded by the officer was held at gunpoint by the officer until police arrived and summoned paramedics, who took him to a hospital.

The officer, who did not chase Smith or the other 15-year-old, "sustained some soft tissue damage to the side of his head where he was struck by the subjects when they assaulted him. He was also treated at a hospital," according to the sheriff's department.

The weapon used during the robbery and located near Smith "was found to be a replica semi-automatic handgun which looks exactly like a real handgun," according to a sheriff's statement. "The manufacturer of the gun boasts on its website that they are the masters of look-alike air guns and that their replica guns are realistic looking."

The unharmed 15-year-old was charged by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office on Wednesday with attempted robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. He was arraigned Thursday, denied the charges and is due back in Eastlake Juvenile Court on June 15, officials said.

The wounded 14-year-old remains hospitalized, the sheriff's department reported.

The shooting remains under investigation and anyone with information was urged to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500 or Lt. John Corina at (323) 890-5641.

Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling (800) 222-TIPS.

City News Service