Deputy Shoots Holdup Suspect

A man who allegedly tried to rob a shoe store in Camarillo was critically wounded when a Ventura County Sheriff’s deputy shot him as he fled, authorities said. Three alleged accomplices were arrested.

The four men were scuffling with store employees when deputies arrived at the business in the 700 block of Arneil Road about 5 p.m., said Lt. Joe Harwell of the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit. A store employee had called 911 to report that a robbery was in progress, he said.

One of the deputies confronted a man fleeing the store and fired a shot at him, Harwell said. It was not immediately clear what led to the shooting, and it was not known if the deputy was provoked. A nursing supervisor at Ventura County General Hospital in Ventura said the wounded man, whose name was not released, was in critical condition.

Deputies arrested a second suspect at the store and the other two--who are juveniles--were taken into custody when deputies saw them walking a short distance away, Harwell said. The two were being held at Ventura County Juvenile Hall, he said.

Harwell said it appeared that the robbers were not armed, but tried to rob the store using force. One of the employees who scuffled with the suspects was taken to Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo with minor wounds, Harwell said.

The names of the suspects were not immediately available.

The shooting was being investigated by the sheriff’s Officer Involved Shooting Team, Harwell said.