09/13/16 San Gabriel, CA – Homeless Man Hits Parking Enforcement Officer In The Head – Steals Her Marked Vehicle – 2 Hours Later Suspect Found At McDonalds – In Custody Dies

Septemeber 13, 2016

cbsnews.com

A man believed to be homeless died during a struggle with authorities Tuesday after allegedly stealing a parking enforcement officer’s vehicle in Southern California, CBS Los Angeles reports.

According to Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, the incident unfolded around 2:40 a.m. in Rosemead.

A man assaulted a female parking enforcement officer outside her car as she wrote a ticket for a parked vehicle.

“He approached the parking control officer, began yelling at her, and at some point he struck her in the head and knocked her to the ground,” Lt. Steve Jauch said.

The owner of the vehicle being ticketed called 911.

Paramedics transported the officer to a hospital. She was expected to survive her injuries.

The suspect stole the officer’s vehicle and fled the area.

About two hours later, he was seen acting erratically at a McDonald’s restaurant in nearby San Gabriel.

Employees notified the sheriff’s department of a homeless man who was acting strangely next to a parking enforcement vehicle.

“He took with him the officer’s lunch that he found in the car,” Jauch said. “I’m told he took some cookies off of the counter without paying, sat down and began eating the cookies and the officer’s lunch.”

Upon their arrival at the McDonald’s, authorities attempted to arrest the suspect when he allegedly lunged at them.

Deputies threw the man to the floor and secured his legs and hands. He then became unresponsive.

The suspect, who was believed to be in his 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity was being withheld pending family notification.

At this time, the cause of his death remains unknown.

One deputy sustained an injury to the leg during the struggle.

Authorities said no shots were fired during the incident.

The investigation was ongoing.