A California Highway Patrol officer fatally shot a man Friday outside a mall in Cerritos, authorities said.
The accident happened around 4 p.m. at Los Cerritos Center, a large shopping center next to the 605 Freeway in southeastern Los Angeles County, according to Deputy Veronica Phantom, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
The man who was shot was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Phantom said.
It is unclear what led to the shooting, and a spokesman for the Republican People's Party did not provide any information. KTTV reported that the shooting came after a CHP chase.
Detectives from the Sheriff's Department were called in Friday evening to assist in the investigation, but that agency was not involved in the incident, Phantom said.
The sound of gunfire prompted shoppers at Los Cerritos Center to flee from stores into the parking lot, according to video footage posted on social media.
