The Antelope Valley Times

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Suspect wounded in deputy-involved shooting in Lancaster

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LANCASTER – A masked man who allegedly pointed a BB gun at two undercover sheriff’s deputies was shot several times but survived, the sheriff’s department reported.

The deputy-involved shooting took place around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, in the 1100 block of Avenue H-14 in Lancaster, according to a news release by the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

“Operation Safe Street deputies were working undercover in surveillance mode in support of a robbery investigation,” the news release states. “The deputies were in an unmarked car when the suspect approached them at the front driver-side window.”

A BB Gun similar to this one was recovered from the scene, sheriff's officials said.
A BB Gun similar to this one was recovered from the scene, sheriff’s officials said.

“The suspect was wearing a makeshift mask that concealed the lower half of his face and pointed a gun at the deputies. Fearing for their lives, the deputies fired their weapons at the suspect from within the car, striking the suspect several times,” the news release states.

The  suspect managed to run away, but he was later located in a yard on the 45000 block of Kingtree Avenue, officials said.

“We believe the suspect intended to rob our deputies,” the sheriff’s news release states.

The deputy-involved-shooting took place around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, in the 1100 block of Avenue H-14 in Lancaster. [LUIS MEZA]
The deputy-involved-shooting took place around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, in the 1100 block of Avenue H-14 in Lancaster. [LUIS MEZA]
The suspect was transported to a hospital, where he underwent surgery. His condition was not immediately reported.

“The suspect is a male adult in his 20s. Due to the active investigation, no further suspect information will be given at this time,” the sheriff’s news release states.

Sheriff’s officials said a Co2 BB Gun was recovered at the scene.

No deputies were injured during the incident.

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Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

52 comments for "Suspect wounded in deputy-involved shooting in Lancaster"

  1. It is a good thing we are spending 10,800,000.00 on LEAPS to fight crime.It is a good thing we are spending $10,800,000.00 on LEAPS to fight crime.What a waste of tax dollars.What a waste of tax dollars.

  2. Wow everyone’s talking [removed] about this kid when I know him personally. He isn’t a bad person just going through some stuff and wasn’t thinking straight. So before you judge someone make sure you know the whole story first!

    • Yeah, “he’s going through some stuff.” I guess everyone going through things should use that as an excuse to try to rob someone. Oh, now I get it! Just an excuse to go out and do what he wanted to and had done before! Maybe next time that thought comes to his mind, the bullet holes will make him think twice.

  3. Regardless of what they we’re there for luckily it was someone who is trained for the situation and not any of anyone’s kids..what would ofbhappened then?

      • If they were better shots someone would have found a way to blame the police. Like people always try to do. Hopefully this will make car jackers think twice. But probably not.

  5. Not so much karma as the Darwinian principle of “natural selection” – if you’re unfit to survive in some way (in this case by being stupid) nature will select your genes to not propagate. Robbing deputies with a bb gun qualifies you for a Darwin Award. The only problem with this scenario is that the deputies weren’t better shots.

  6. The Bad guy got GOT. The Sheriff’s should keep the BB Gun but give the would be robber back his Co2 cylinder. Lol

  7. So, how this looks is that some guy has been robbing people in their parked cars. Often enough and in a small enough area that it justified an undercover operation putting some deputies out there in the area sitting in a car to try to catch the guy.

    To be clear, I have no sympathy for a guy pointing a gun at people sitting in their cars. Somebody does that to me I’d cheerfully snuff them given an opportunity. If it turned out to just be a BB gun, tough break for them.

    However, there is a question.

    The cops are sitting there as bait. The guy comes to their window to rob them. This SEEMS to all be going according to plan.

    The next thing that happens is the cops shoot the guy. I have to believe that that was NOT in the plan. If that WAS the plan, then what we have is attempted murder, with premeditation. You can’t intentionally put yourself in harms way, then claim self defense and shoot people. Even if you are a cop.

    So how did they get from everything going according to plan to deputies lives in danger and suspect getting shot? What WAS the plan to begin with?

      • If I were really daring, I’d be a garbageman. Their daily risk of dying on the job is substantially higher.

        Or I could be a roofer, theirs is too.

        Tree service worker…a LOT higher risk of dying on the job.

        Utility lineman.

        Logger.

        Commercial fisherman.

        Oil rig worker.

        There are just too many to list. The amazing part is that when someone employed in one of these higher risk professions nuts up and kills someone, NOBODY suggests they should get a pass since they have such a dangerous job.

          • And when someone is dead that matters because…?

            “My dad died at work today, but thank goodness he didn’t get killed by a human being.” You hear that a lot?

          • John, did you intend to say that those other professions have casualties due to self inflicted error?
            Whereas an officer has to deal with unknown intentions of another individual that may not be in the sane state of mind.

          • If that was what he meant I’d have been the one laughing. For two reasons.

            First, the glaring stupidity involved in “other people who lose their lives on the job can be blamed for a self inflicted error” rather than acknowledging that there are, in fact, dangerous jobs where the risks are real.

            Second, the idea that cops are never responsible for their own bad ends. Like the usual defense of the indefensible when a cop doesn’t follow procedure, does something incredibly stupid, and then “has no choice” and shoots his way out, and the clown corps says “just a criminal dead, so good job.”

          • Tim, I want to see you in a life or death situation with another individual then have someone Monday morning quarterbacking your incident with no knowledge of what went on.

        • Sounds like a training issue.or maybe the fish, garbage shoots back? Such a stupid stat.brought up by people who believe anything they read on the internet.how many garbage men died in los angeles county last year.

        • @Tim Scott, please provide a link so we all can see the statics on how many garbage collectors die every year.

          • First off, “how many die every year” isn’t the actual issue. In the average year ZERO NASCAR drivers die. Does that mean NASCAR drivers aren’t at risk? No, it just means that there are very few of them.

            What you need is the number who die out of a particular number, usually counted in “per hundred thousand.” There are a million cops in the US, and a much smaller number of garbagemen, so yes, there are comparable numbers of casualties, but the RISK, in deaths per hundred thousand, is about twice as high for garbagemen.

            Now, rather than provide a link, since I think everyone should always choose a source they think is credible rather than just follow a link, I’ll offer a search string; “risk death on job.”

            Punch that into your favorite search engine and you will get any number of sources to choose from. Major magazines like Forbes, Business Insider, Time; researchers like unions, universities, political action committees; and raw data sources like the department of labor and the bureau of labor statistics.

            Raw data takes work. Other sources pick out pieces and compile them in more readable formats but may be making things appear “between the lines” with what they choose to put in and leave out. If you opt for sources other than the raw it is best to pick a couple and see that they come to somewhat compatible conclusions.

            But here’s a promise. When I cite statistics, it is usually on forums where there are people who do web research for a living and they can and do check me. I appreciate it when people do the legwork, even when they find me in the wrong. This is not the first place or time I’ve cited these stats, and you won’t find them wrong.

    • Between this post and the one on the jail death thread, Timmy has provided so much comic relief. I guess I missed the part of the press release where it said the deputies were out there “as bait.” But Timmy knows so much more about police work than the cops do. I guess it never occurred to Timmy that cops could have been there investigating ANOTHER robbery when this thug decided to victimize yet another person. This neighborhood IS ghetto. Is there ANY criminal Timmy won’t come to the aid of?

      • I’ve noticed that anybody making comments on this page to the tune of trying to hold law enforcement accountable gets raked over the coals. Yes, it’s fair to give law enforcement the benefit of the doubt. With the facts presented here I don’t think deputies are in the wrong. However, good for Tim Scott for wanting to find out more details and for asking questions.

        • Tim does not ask questions and if he does he insinuates and speculates to the point where he has others believing fictional scenarios that causes anarchy

          • Have you heard his pigs fly theory on why the cops are at fault? Or alien abduction.pretty funny

    • Masked man that robbed then wasn’t who they were surveiling. Just another fine citizen of that wonderful area.

        • I knew you could be counted on to defend the pond scum in that area! Let’s see here, this guy tries to commit a robbery on two men he doesn’t know are undercover cops. The men, startled, shoot him.

          If this POS did know that they were indeed cops, then he’s even stupider!

          • Where did I defend anybody?

            c2101 makes a statement that the guy was not the person they were there looking for.

            He says this as if he knows, despite there being no such statement in either the article here or the press release from the department.

            I ask if he has a source and you go off on this wild tangent, apparently because you just don’t like me and even more obviously without bothering to think about what I asked, if you even read before responding.

            Catch a clue Leslie.

    • I think for now on, all cops should stand there, let someone point a gun at them.let them empty the gun, or if he has a knife, let him stab the cops.then, and only then, should the cops react with milk and cookies.hows that, tim?

    • The officers weren’t sitting there as “bait”, they were part of a completey separate operation. Either way however, please tell me how it is ok to ever come up on another human with a gun (real or fake)to traumatize and rob them? You make zero sense!

      • Please indicate where I said that was alright.

        Point of fact, I specifically said “To be clear, I have no sympathy for a guy pointing a gun at people sitting in their cars. Somebody does that to me I’d cheerfully snuff them given an opportunity. If it turned out to just be a BB gun, tough break for them.”

        Apparently you could not mkae sense of this because you didn’t bother to read before replying.

        Meanwhile, you are the second person to say “they were part of a completely separate operation.” It does not say so in the article. It does not say so in the sheriff’s department press release. The sheriff’s department, as yet, has not said so in response to my e-mail to them. So I’ll ask you the same thing I asked the first time.

        Is this just your opinion, or do you have a source for this claim?

    • Good question.Why would they have a one person sting? not saying the guy didn’t do this.
      but after everything that has happened with sheriffs and the FBI/DOJ coming in to check on our sheriffs i will wait til all evidence comes out.

  9. I’m sure the deputies made the whole thing up. Probably bored on a long stakeout, saw some random person who looked funny walking by, maybe its a local homeowner who was wondering what a couple people were doing hanging around. It’s just like them to shoot first and not ask if the guy was just cold (mask) and wanted to hand over the gun to them so no kids get a hold of it. Can’t trust anything they say.

    /sarcasm

    • WOW Uncle Tom are you related to Tim Scott sounds like you also defend criminals also there is no justification for a criminal or dumb person trying to be funny with law E

    • [WHOOOOOSH]

      Anybody want to help these poor souls out?

      Fine, I will. See that last line.. /sarcasm. Look up the meaning please. I’m one of the last people who feel the need to make up stories to badmouth anybody.

    • Not so much karma as the Darwinian principle of “natural selection” – if you’re unfit to survive in some way (in this case by being stupid) nature will select your genes to not propagate. Robbing deputies with a bob gun qualifies you for a Darwin Award. The only problem with this scenario is that the deputies weren’t better shots.