Car-Theft Suspect Slain

An Anaheim detective shot and killed a man suspected of stealing a new Honda Civic on Tuesday after a police stakeout.

Auto-theft detectives were watching the 2005 Honda about 8 a.m. after a signal coming from the car’s LoJack System alerted them to its location on Moraga Street, between the Santa Ana and Riverside freeways, said Sgt. Rick Martinez, a spokesman for the Anaheim Police Department.

About two hours later, the suspect got in the car and started to drive away, but he was blocked head-on by a detective’s car, Martinez said. The man got out of the car and ran between nearby houses.

During the chase, the man pulled out a handgun, and the detective shot him, authorities said. It is not known if the man pointed the gun at police or shot at them, Martinez said.

The gun was recovered on Alamo Street, where the man was shot, he said.

Magda Juarez, 35, was making breakfast for her children Tuesday when she heard people yelling.

She looked out her window and saw a man run through her backyard and jump a fence into a neighbor’s yard, followed by police. Seconds later, she said, she heard three gunshots.

“I have never seen anything like this before,” said Juarez, who was told to remain in her house while investigators photographed what looked like a blue bag that the man dropped in her backyard.

The man was treated by paramedics and taken to a hospital, where he died about 11 a.m., Martinez said.

He was not carrying identification, Martinez said, and officers had not received the results of a fingerprint check.

The detective’s identity was withheld, Martinez said. He was placed on administrative leave for three days, which is routine for officers who shoot someone.

The Orange County district attorney’s office and Anaheim police are investigating.

Martinez said it was not unusual for detectives to stake out stolen vehicles to see if the suspect returns. In this case, the car was reported stolen Tuesday morning.