Police Investigate Fatal Shooting by Deputy

An investigation was under way Monday into the death of a man who was shot in the chest as he lunged at a group of sheriff's deputies while brandishing a stick in a threatening manner, police said.

The man, whose identity was not immediately revealed, was shot once by a deputy in the 4900 block of Oceanside Boulevard Sunday afternoon, Oceanside police Lt. Leonard Mata said. He died at the scene.

Police received a call at 1:24 p.m. Sunday about a man causing a disturbance at the am/pm convenience store at 1501 Melrose Drive. The man hit one customer over the head with a 32-ounce glass bottle and threw a brick through the window of a car, striking a passenger, Mata said in a statement. His motive was not immediately clear.

The man vandalized the convenience store before fleeing on foot westbound on Oceanside Boulevard. Because the man was fleeing toward Vista, sheriff's deputies who patrol that city were called to help Oceanside police in the pursuit. A short time later, deputies came upon the man in the 4900 block of Oceanside Boulevard and attempted to detain him.

According to Mata, the man was "acting irrationally" and armed himself with a stick, lunging at a group of deputies in a threatening manner. One deputy responded by firing a single shot that hit the man in the chest, the lieutenant said. No officers or deputies were hurt.

The 4900 block of Oceanside Boulevard is a well-traveled roadway, and police asked anyone who may have witnessed the incident to call Oceanside police Detective Doug Baxter at (760) 435-4027.

—City News Service