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UPDATED: Suspect arrested minutes after gas station armed robbery

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Armed robbery suspect, 21-year-old Deon Fite, was captured minutes after the Valero gas station in Lancaster was held up at gunpoint. Photo by LUIS MEZA.
The store was robbed around 2:35 p.m. Friday. Photo by LUIS MEZA.

LANCASTER – With the help of some alert eyewitnesses, deputies caught a thief just minutes after he robbed an east Lancaster gas station at gunpoint Friday afternoon, according to authorities.

Deon Fite, 21, was arrested around 3 p.m. Friday after a short foot pursuit, said Lancaster Station Watch Sergeant Reddish.

“They recovered both the gun and the money that was taken,” Reddish said.

Fite was identified by an employee as the man who held up the Valero gas station near 5th Street East and Avenue K in Lancaster. At least two customers were in the store during the robbery, Reddish said.

Fite ran into the Sienna Heights apartments minutes after the robbery. Deputies quickly contained the area. Photo by LUIS MEZA.

“It sounds like it was a quick robbery… he had a gun, the money was given up, and he left,” Reddish said.

After the robbery, Fite fled westbound on Avenue K into the Sienna Heights apartment complex, officials said.

“Several witnesses were able to give a location of where he was,” Reddish said.  “Containment by the deputies was quickly set up, and he was located.”

“There was a short foot pursuit where he ran from the deputies, [but] the deputies caught up with him and detained him at gunpoint,” Reddish continued.

Fite was booked at the Lancaster Station for robbery and is being held on $100,000 bail.

UPDATED 7/20/12 at 11:15 p.m.: According to a Sheriff’s press report issued moments ago, a Sheriff’s civilian employee witnessed the robbery and was instrumental in helping deputies to catch the thief. Read the report below:

Fite was nabbed minutes after the robbery, thanks to a sheriff’s civilian employee.

In the afternoon hours on July 20, an off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff’s civilian employee had just got off of work and stopped at a Valero convenience store to get gas. Once she walked into the store, a male later identified as 21 year-old Deon Fite, followed behind her wearing a bandana on his face and yielding a handgun.

The suspect walked behind the store’s front counter and demanded money from the clerk at gun point. The Sheriff’s employee hastily exited the store and dialed 911 where she advised Lancaster Station of the robbery.

The employee watched Suspect Fite at a distance, following him on Avenue K to the Sienna Heights Apartments at the 43500 block of Kirkland Avenue, Lancaster. She kept law enforcement updated on the suspect’s whereabouts by her cellular telephone and directed deputies to his location within the apartment complex.

As deputies attempted to contact Suspect Fite, he attempted to flee by jumping over a wall which was apparently too tall. The suspect ran about 100 feet prior to proning himself on the ground and was taken into custody.

Deputies recovered the stolen cash and a loaded .38 caliber handgun from the suspect’s pants pockets. The suspect was identified as a local gang member on active parole out of Bakersfield for weapon charges. The suspect was also in possession of a stolen cellular telephone taken in another recent theft in Lancaster.

Suspect Fite was booked at Lancaster Station for Robbery and is being held on $100,000.00 bail with an additional charge of Parole Violation.

 

Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

33 comments for "UPDATED: Suspect arrested minutes after gas station armed robbery"

  1. GKOOD LUCC ON TKHIS CASE MY [removed] [removed] TKHESE OTKHER MARC ASS COMMENTKS M.O.P O.P.M

    • What happened genius, loose your crayons? Better stick with them ’cause the keyboard is not for you.

    • Wow. Gang related writing will not,help your friends case . judging by your writing you,are a participant in a crip affiliatd gang. Learn a lesson from you friend deon . Being involved with gangs will only promise 2 outcomes. You either die on the streets or be sentenced to jail. Take heed and change your life. Maybe you could influenced your homie to do better.

  4. What drives a person to the point where they give up on their future? he does not care about himself how can anyone expect for him to care or have empathy for the,people and establishment he ha
    s victimized

      • That’s a lame excuse! EVERYONE has a future! You cannot go through life blaming people and circumstances for your shortcomings. Pull yourself up and do better. I’m tired of the bleeding heart liberals and their stupid catch phrases “he had no future”, “he was misunderstood”. Shut Up with it already!

      • You were born without a future you fool , boost your intellectual level a little , Look Past The Fault And See The Need !!!!!!!

  5. awww cut him some slack see what had happen was…… he is out on parole and his baby mama need cigs and since no one wanted to give him a break he did what he had to do in the hard streets of LANCASTER…… hahahahahahah

  6. Deputies have identified Fite as a local gang member on active parole out of Bakersfield for weapon charges. He was also in possession of a stolen cellular telephone taken in another recent theft in Lancaster.

    Well that explains the tats and the thug look. Wonder if this was a third strike?

      • It was supposed to be his third strike HOWEVER They DID NOT strike him out !! HA , :)
        Now i keep my fingers crossed you get hit by a huge bus you ayee hole !!!!!!! He is an amazing person who made a mistake !

    • hopefully you get whacked in a drive buy or attempted robbery homie. i bet your parents are proud of you. I also bet the computer you posted from is stolen. See you on Americas most wanted homie

  9. Maybe that gold chain slowed him down, couldn’t get away quick enough!!

    What an idiot. Have fun doing the time, keep in mind it’s an extra 10 for the gun pal!!

  10. Don’t ya just love our prison/parole system when useless, no-good vermin like this are let loose? Now its three hots and a cot (again) for this scum, AT TAXPAYER’S EXPENSE. Too bad he didn’t break his neck trying to climb that wall.

    • Too bad you didn’t break your face getting outta bed this morning ! You are all judgmental just because his mistakes are made public doesnt mean its right to talk about him or anyone in such ways because 9 times outta 10 if this “thug” was in your face you’d run ……… FAST !
      BUILD YOUR MIND FASTER

  11. Now I know why some of these guys showing off their stolen jewelry and living well where they got their money from. DAMN THIEVES.

  13. I guess I am not that good of a person because these are the stories I want to see.
    This whole new “balanced” approach this site has taken has left me yawning.
    If I wanted to here about the Jethawks or who became class president I would read that newspaper that keeps showing up at my door.(Gonna get rid of that!)

    Maybe the owners of this site can do a spin-off site, you know just the down and dirty daily crimes and of course the subsequent arrest.

    That would be tight.

    • I must not be a good person either, because I really enjoy the cops and robbers news stories.

      • I’m really bad too! I want to know who has been arrested and for what. I like to read the stories about bad guys being caught or read the article with pictures of the bad guys so we can report them when we see them walking through our neighborhood.
        If I want to hear a story about a quilting bee, get a recipe for making jam or hear about sports, I’ll watch Time Warner News.

  14. We have a winner of today’s Stupid People award! Fool even has a Facebook page.

    Good job Deputies…another one bites the dirt.