An armed robbery suspect was fatally wounded by Garden Grove police Sunday afternoon, according to authorities.
The suspect, identified Tuesday as Wilfredo Ayala, 19, of Santa Ana, was killed when fleeing the scene of the robbery in a strip mall parking lot at Harbor Boulevard and Westminster Avenue at 5:08 p.m., said Lt. Jeff Nightengale of the Garden Grove Police Department.
Police say that when officers arrived on the scene of the robbery, suspects – possibly armed with handguns – ran in different directions, one going eastwards toward a service station at the northeast corner.
He was struck by a car while crossing Harbor, but got up and fled through the station’s lot toward a commercial business area. From there, said Lt. Nightengale, the suspect climbed over a wall with officers in pursuit. The shooting occurred on the opposite side of the wall, and the suspect was fatally wounded.
Police say that Ayala had previous arrests for marijuana possession and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was on formal probation.
The officers were no injured and a firearm was recovered at the scene, said police.
Investigators from the Garden Grove Police Department and the Orange County District Attorney’s office are conducting an inquiry, as is protocol.
Anyone who can provide information about the incident is asked to call the GGPD Investigations Unit at (714) 741-5800.
