An 18-year-old man was shot and killed by a Santa Ana police officer Wednesday night, Jan. 28, after getting out of his car at the end of a brief pursuit and reaching down to pick up a gun he had dropped, authorities said.
The teenager’s 19-year-old girlfriend and their 1-year-old child were in the car, but were not injured, said Officer Natalie Garcia, a Santa Ana police spokeswoman.
About 10:30 p.m., an officer attempted to stop the man’s car in the downtown Santa Ana, Garcia said. There was a “very short pursuit,” she said, and then he stopped in the parking garage of an apartment complex near Third and French streets.
Why the officer attempted to pull over the car was unclear.
The suspect got out and put his hands up, Garcia said, but in the process a firearm fell to the ground.
“What we know is that he drops a firearm, to which the officer gives commands not to retrieve it,” Garcia said. “He does not obey commands, and that’s when the officer discharges his duty weapon.”
It was unclear how many shots were fired.
The suspect, girlfriend and baby lived at the apartment complex, Garcia said. The man’s mother also lives at the complex and spoke with officers.
From when the officer attempted to pull the car over to the shooting, Garcia said, lasted a minute or two.