Shoplifting Suspect Fatally Shot by Police During Scuffle

A shoplifting suspect was fatally shot Thursday during a scuffle with three deputies and a police dog from the San Diego Sheriff’s Department near a shopping center in suburban Lakeside.

Capt. Clay Reynard of the department’s homicide squad said the suspect appeared to be trying to pull one deputy’s gun from its holster when another deputy fired two shots into his back.

Reynard said that during the fight, the deputy yelled, “He’s got my gun! He’s got my gun!”

The names of the dead man and an injured deputy were not released. The injured deputy was said to have been bitten on the head and arm by the police dog.

Reynard said the incident began about 8:25 a.m. when the manager of a Rite Aid drug store called deputies about a possible shoplifting. Moments later, deputies stopped a car with two men inside who fit the description given by the manager.

The driver was put into a sheriff’s car. But the second man ran, Reynard said.

The police dog caught the fleeing suspect from behind, knocking him to the ground and biting him repeatedly, according to the Sheriff’s Department. During a struggle, the suspect was hit on the arms and legs with a flashlight while the suspect was on top of one deputy.

“The suspect continued to resist,” Reynard said. When the suspect attempted to grab the fallen deputy’s gun, another deputy fired the fatal shots, he added.

No weapon was found after an initial investigation, police said.