Man killed, another wounded in homeless encampment shooting in Cerritos


CERRITOS >> Two men opened fire at a riverbed homeless encampment along the San Gabriel riverbed in Cerritos on Friday night, killing one man and leaving another wounded, authorities said.
The shooting took place about 8:35 p.m. in an encampment along the riverbed near Artesia Boulevard, Deputy Joana Warren of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Information Bureau said in a written statement.
“According to witnesses, the suspects — two male Hispanic adults, 30-40 years-old — walked up to the encampment and started shooting at the first victim,” Warren said.
The 31-year-old man was mortally wounded, she said. A second victim, described as a 21-year-old man, was also injured by the gunfire.
Both suspects ran from the scene, officials said. No further descriptions were available.
Paramedics took both wounded men to a hospital, according to Warren. The 31-year-old succumbed to his injuries. His identity was not released.
The younger shooting victim was treated and has since been released from the hospital, authorities said.
“There is no additional information at this time and the investigation is ongoing,” Warren said.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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UPDATED: 3 men with assault rifle sought in home-invasion robberies in West Whittier, Cerritos


WEST WHITTIER >> Deputies are seeking three men with an assault rifle who carried out a home-invasion robberies in West Whittier and Cerritos on Wednesday night, officials said.
The first crime was reported about 9:40 p.m. in the 12100 block of Washington Boulevard, at the home of a man and woman in their 60s in the unincorporated county area of West Whittier, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Steve Tenney said.
“The female victim walked out of her home a little after 9 p.m. to retrieve an item from her vehicle parked in her driveway when she was confronted by a male black adult armed with a rifle,” sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
“The man ordered her back into the house at gunpoint and followed her inside,” according to the statement. “Once inside the home, the suspect ordered both elderly victims to lay on the floor. Two additional male black suspects entered the home and ransacked the rooms, stealing items of jewelry.”
The robbers ordered the victims to stand up and walk into another room before robbing them of their cash and fleeing, officials said.
No getaway car was seen.
Investigators described all three robbers as black men, between 25 and 30 years old, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and of thin build. Each wore a hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over their heads.
“They were in and out,” he said. The man and wife suffered no injuries, though they were, “pretty shaken up.”
Deputies noted no apparent reason the robbers would have targeted the couple.
A short time later, three men of similar description carried out a similar crime about nine miles to the south, authorities said.
“Two hours later, Cerritos Sheriff Station responded to a similar home invasion robbery involving three male black suspects, one armed with a rifle,” according to the statement.
The crime was first reported as an “assault with a deadly weapon” about 11 p.m. in the 4600 block of Rancho Verde Drive, sheriff’s Lt. Richard Hernandez said.
A man who lives at the home was working inside his garage when one of three robbers approached, sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
“The victim was pistol-whipped on his head and ordered to the ground as the two other suspects entered his residence,” the statement said.
The robbers then confronted a woman inside the home and also ordered her to the ground. Two children were also sleeping inside the home.
“The two suspects began to walk towards the rear of the residence when they abruptly turned and ran out the front door out of view,” according to the statement.
Nothing was stolen during the crime, and no injuries were reported.
The three suspects were described as black men in their 20s, officials said. One was armed with a rifle, and the other two carried handguns.
“These men are considered armed and dangerous,” the statement added.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station at 562-949-2421, or the sheriff’s Cerritos Station at 562-860-0044. Tips may also be submitted anonymously online to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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UPDATED: Suspect fatally shot, deputy struck by vehicle in Cerritos


CERRITOS >> Deputies fatally shot a man after he struck a sheriff’s deputy with a car at a Cerritos intersection Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.
The suspect, described only as a man, died at a hospital following the 5:14 p.m. deputy-involved shooting at Alondra Boulevard and Studebaker Road, just outside of Cerritos College, according to Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Information Bureau.
The deputy, assigned to the sheriff’s Cerritos Station, was patrolling through the parking lot of a 7-Eleven when he saw a white Acura Integra parked near a gas pump and checked the car’s license plate, sheriff’s officials said in a written statement. The car had been reported stolen in Whittier.
As the deputy approached the car, with the suspect sitting behind the wheel, he heard the engine start, officials said.
“At some point, the vehicle accelerated, struck the deputy, at which time, a deputy-involved shooting occurred,” according to the sheriff’s department statement.
The deputy was released from the hospital later in the day, officials said. The suspect, who succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, was not identified Wednesday.
Peter Serna, a student at nearby Cerritos College, said it appeared the deputy had the suspect pulled over before the shooting occurred. The deputy ordered the driver to get out of his car when the vehicle lunged forward.
“The man tried to strike the police officer with his car,” Serna said. “The officer fired five shots and then they tried performing CPR on the man.”
It appeared the suspect’s car struck the deputy’s hip or leg, Serna said.
California Highway Patrol officials shut down the Alondra Boulevard offramps from the 605 Freeway, as well as the westbound 91 Freeway connector road to the northbound 605 Freeway, as deputies continued their investigation Wednesday evening.
The fatal deputy-involved shooting took place one day after a man was shot to death in a suspected gang-related shooting at a 7-Eleven store at the same intersection, but across the city border in Norwalk, Lt. Victor Lewandowski of the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said.
The identity of Tuesday afternoon’s shooting victim was not released Wednesday.
Investigators described the killers as two Latino men in their late-teens to early-20s. Lewandowski said a dark-colored Chevrolet sedan and a white SUV-type vehicle were seen leaving the area following the gunfire.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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Suspect jailed following Cerritos bank robbery


CERRITOS >> Deputies jailed an alleged bandit Friday after he used a fake bomb to rob a Cerritos bank, authorities said.
Deputies first responded about 9:30 a.m. to reports of a robbery at a bank branch in the 11300 block of South Street, Lt. Martin Rodriguez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau said in a written statement.
“A lone male adult had entered the bank, demanding money, and claimed he had an explosive device on him inside a plastic bag,” Rodriguez said.
The robber obtained a “moderate amount” of cash and left the purported bomb inside the bank near a row of tellers before fleeing, the lieutenant said.
Officials evacuated the bank and summoned a bomb squad to examine the device, who found it contained to explosives.
Deputies found and detained a man matching the robber’s description about two hours later, around the corner at 195th Street and Pioneer Boulevard, Rodriguez said.
Witnesses identified the detained man as the robber, and money believed to have been stolen in the heist was found in his possession, officials said. He was booked on suspicion of bank robbery, making criminal threats and making a bomb threat. Bail was set at $100,000.
Detectives withheld the suspect’s name Friday, “as investigators look into the potential for additional similar robberies committed by the suspect,” Rodriguez said.
The FBI has joined sheriff’s officials in the investigation.

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