Suspect Chased, Killed by Police

A Huntington Beach police officer on Sunday shot and killed a man who allegedly stole a lighter and other inexpensive items from a convenience store, then threatened to run over officers with his car after a chase, police said.

The shooting occurred about 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Huntington Beach High School, where people were playing basketball. The driver, a city resident in his 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities would not release his name because his relatives had not yet been notified.

Police said the incident began when the man stole a lighter from the AM/PM store at Beach Boulevard and Adams Avenue. After he left the store, a clerk came out and accused him of shoplifting, police said.

The man reentered the store and stole cheap items from the counter, police said.

The clerk asked the man what he was doing, and the man drove off in his blue Toyota Corolla, police said.

The clerk jotted down the license number and called police.

Five patrol cars chased the man for about a quarter of a mile, police said. When the man’s car entered the high school parking lot, one patrol car deliberately struck it on the side, forcing it to spin, said Lt. Dan Johnson.

Some officers got out of their cars. The man revved his engine and began to move the car, suggesting that he would run over the officers and smash into their cars, Johnson said.

“We saw no weapon,” Johnson said. “The weapon would have been the car.”

One officer fired a shot through the windshield of the Corolla, Johnson said. The suspect got out of the car and fell to the ground, Johnson said.

Police did not release the name of the officer. As with all officer-involved shootings, the incident was under investigation.