A teen girl walked into the lobby of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department (LASD) Sunday, then allegedly grabbed a deputy and ended up shooting herself, police said.
The unnamed female Hispanic juvenile was alleged to have knocked on the front door of the lobby of the department’s branch in California’s Industry City and to have seized one of the deputies’ guns when they responded, a LASD press statement read. (RELATED: Man Allegedly Hijacks Metro Bus With BB Gun, Crashes Into Luxury Hotel)
UPDATE: Critical Incident in the lobby of Industry Sheriff Stationhttps://t.co/N7czA8hXZH pic.twitter.com/1S6AWfVB6X
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) March 25, 2024
The girl allegedly “lunged into the lobby and reached for the deputy’s holstered firearm and took possession of it” wherein a struggle between the juvenile and the deputy allegedly ensued, the press statement said. “During the struggle, the juvenile suffered from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the department alleged. The Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at the scene and declared the woman dead, the press release read.
Authorities speculated that the incident may have revolved around a family disturbance in the area, the Los Angeles Times reported. “We believe that this incident stems from a family disturbance call that deputies had responded to, prior to this incident at the station,” Lt. Art Spencer, a spokesman for the department, said, KTLA 5 reported. Spencer reportedly stressed that the investigation was still in its early stages and that no deputies were harmed during the altercation.
The teenager was 17-year-old at the time of her death, according to ABC 7.