Armed man shot, killed by South Gate police

Before an armed man was fatally shot early Sunday by South Gate police, he tried to carjack two vehicles near a fast food restaurant, officials said.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s homicide detectives are investigating the incident, which began just before 4 a.m. at a Jack in the Box restaurant in the 8900 block of Kauffman Avenue, according to a Sheriff’s Department release.

The man, whose name was not released but who is 35 to 40 years old, unsuccessfully tried to carjack a driver, sheriff’s officials said.

As officers from the South Gate Police Department fielded the reported carjacking, the man was spotted nearby. He fled from police and attempted a second carjacking about five blocks away.

Police continued searching for the man, who returned to the Jack in the Box “armed with a handgun,” said the Sheriff’s Department release.

The man confronted police and was shot just before 5 a.m., sheriff’s officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and his gun was later recovered.

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