Azusa officer fatally shoots adult store robbery suspect

AZUSA, Calif. (KABC) -- A police officer shot and killed a man suspected of robbing an adult video store in Azusa early Monday morning.

The shooting happened near Citrus Avenue and Gladstone Street. The lone officer was patrolling the area around 12:30 a.m. when he was flagged down by a store clerk and a customer, who alerted the officer to the alleged robbery at Red Panty's Lingerie, a 24-hour adult store.

According to a witness, the officer, who located the suspect nearby, asked the suspect to stay put and put his hands in the air. The suspect did not comply and took off. The officer apparently yelled for the suspect to stop three times, but the suspect reached into his waistband. That's when the officer fired one round.

The suspect was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The suspect was only identified as a man in his 20s. Authorities say no weapon was recovered from the suspect.

Before the officer-involved shooting, the suspect had entered Red Panty's Lingerie and simulated a weapon. He demanded cash from the register, but the robbery was foiled when the suspect saw the police officer pull into the parking lot.

An ongoing investigation into the shooting was being handled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

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