Garden Grove : Car Theft Suspect Is Shot by Police Officer

A man suspected of stealing a car was shot and wounded Thursday by a Garden Grove officer who believed the suspect was reaching for a gun, police said.

Policemen on Stuart Drive were staking out a 1987 Toyota that was stolen earlier Thursday in Fullerton when they saw two people get into the car, Police Lt. Ken Adair said.

The officers stopped the two, identified as Luis Fernando Angeles, 19, of Garden Grove and a 14-year-old boy, before they drove away, Adair said.

“As Angeles was instructed to get out of the vehicle, he made movements as though reaching for a weapon,” Adair said. “The officer (Lonnie Battest) fired one round, striking Angeles in the left buttock.”

Angeles was booked into the UCI Medical Center jail ward and was in stable condition, Adair said.

The 14-year-old was being held in Orange County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of possessing stolen property, Adair said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Wallace J. Wade, who is investigating the shooting, could not be reached for comment Friday.