An investigation was underway Friday morning after detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department killed a robbery suspect during a shootout that started with a chase outside a West Hills shopping mall.
The shooting around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday happened as detectives with the LASD’s Major Crimes Bureau were assisting Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station detectives with an investigation into two recent armed robberies and an assault with a deadly weapon that occurred in the area.
One of the crimes, the gun-point robbery of a woman’s purse in the 4700 block of Commons Way in Calabasas, occurred about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. About 90 minutes later, in the 30000 block of Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Westlake Village, a male suspect pointed a handgun at a female victim and threatened to shoot her, according to the sheriff’s department.
It’s still not clear if those crimes can be linked to the dead suspect, but according to the sheriff’s department, around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, detectives investigating those cases saw the suspect robbing a woman outside the Fallbrook Center Shopping Plaza in the 6600 block of Fallbrook Avenue, between Vanowen Street and Victory Boulevard.
“When detectives attempted to intervene to prevent the robbery from occurring by detaining the male, and to protect the female victim from harm, a deputy involved shooting occurred,” according to a sheriff’s department statement.
The suspect was hit and detectives rendered medical aid until Los Angeles Fire Department personnel arrived and pronounced him dead.
A woman described as an accomplice of the dead man fled in a vehicle, heading south on Fallbrook, but was located in Agoura Hills and taken into custody.
“It appears that the suspect was armed with a semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine,” Lt. Steven De Jong said.
An unidentified woman was heard screaming as she arrived at the mall, bursting through the yellow crime scene tape. “Let me see my grandson! I want to see him!”
Personnel from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the LASD and the Los Angeles Police Department, arrived at the scene and will be part of the shooting investigation.