Man killed by Los Angeles County deputies identified as auto body shop security guard
GARDENA, Calif. (CBSLA and KION) An investigation is underway following a shooting in which Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies apparently shot and killed an auto body shop security guard in Gardena.
According to the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, families identify the victim as 18-year-old Andres Guardado. The owner of the Freeway auto body shop tells CBSLA that Guardado worked as a private security guard for the shop.
The Sheriff's Department said the shooting happened shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday on Redondo Beach Boulevard. Deputies were patrolling the area when they said they saw a man flash a gun before running between two businesses.
Deputies chased the victim before shooting him in the upper torso, the Sheriff's Department said.
“Deputies observed the individual, at which point he observed the deputies,” an LASD spokesperson said Thursday night. “The individual then produced a handgun, and then began running southbound away from the deputies through businesses nearby. Deputies engaged in a short foot pursuit between the two businesses, at some point the deputies contacted the suspect and that’s when the deputy-involved shooting occurred.”
The Sheriff's Department said Guardado died at the scene, and deputies found a gun without identifying marks or serial numbers. It is not clear how many deputies shot at him.
Family members tell CBSLA that they confronted deputies at the scene and said they do not believe Guardado was armed. They say investigators removed security camera video and some cameras from area businesses.
The shop's owner, Andrew Heney, told CBSLA that the business had a security guard due to issues with people tagging and that he ran because he was scared.
