Suspect dies after being pursued by man he robbed at gunpoint in Los Angeles

A suspect who robbed another man at a gas station was killed in a crash after the victim pursued him. 

Initial reports that were later confirmed by the Los Angeles Police Department indicate that a 21-year-old man was at a gas station in L.A.’s West Adams neighborhood on Saturday evening when a group of armed men approached him and robbed him. 

The suspects then fled the scene in a white sedan, and the victim gave chase in a Mercedes-Benz SUV. 

Sometime during the pursuit, the victim rammed his SUV into the suspects’ sedan, causing it to lose control and smash into a light pole at the corner of Adams Boulevard and West View Street, according to video from the scene obtained by KTLA. 

One of the suspects – said to be the driver of the sedan – was killed in the collision. 

After the crash, the other suspects were able to escape the wreckage and opened fire at the 21-year-old before running away. At least one of them was found hiding in a nearby backyard by a K9 unit and was taken into custody, preliminary information indicates. 

The robbery victim stayed at the scene following the crash and cooperated with police; it is not known if he was injured or what he initially had stolen from him. 

The incident is now being investigated as a homicide, LAPD said, but it is unclear if the original robbery victim was in custody.