Man Dies After Carjacking Parking Control Officer's Vehicle In San Gabriel
SAN GABRIEL (CBSLA.com) — A man believed to be homeless died during a struggle with authorities Tuesday after allegedly stealing a parking enforcement officer's vehicle in San Gabriel.
According to Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, the incident unfolded around 2:40 a.m. in the 6900 block of Rosemead Boulevard.
An unknown man assaulted a female parking enforcement officer outside of her car as she wrote a ticket for a vehicle parked in the area, according to CBS2's Jasmine Viel.
"He approached the parking control officer, began yelling at her, and at some point he struck her in the head and knocked her to the ground," Lt. Steve Jauch said.
The owner of the vehicle that was being ticketed called 911 when he encountered the aftermath of the incident.
Paramedics transported the officer to a hospital. She is expected to survive her injuries.
The suspect stole the officer's vehicle and fled from the area.
About two hours later, he was seen acting erratically at a McDonald's restaurant in Temple City, Viel reported.
Restaurant employees notified the sheriff's department of a homeless man who was acting strangely next to a parking enforcement vehicle.
"He took with him the officer's lunch that he found in the car," Jauch added. "I'm told he took some cookies off of the counter without paying, sat down, and began eating the cookies and the officer's lunch."
Upon their arrival to McDonald's, authorities attempted to arrest the suspect when he allegedly lunged at them.
Deputies threw the man to the ground and secured his legs and hands. He then became unresponsive.
The suspect, a Caucasian man believed to be in his 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity is being withheld pending family notification.
At this time, the cause of his death remains unknown.
One deputy sustained an injury to the leg during the struggle.
Authorities clarified no shots were fired during the incident.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information about this incident has been urged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.