Officer kills teen who tried to rob him, authorities say

Off-duty border agent says he shot at boys after being attacked.

A 15-year-old who was shot by an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Friday in Arcadia died early Saturday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

The officer shot the teen along with a 14-year-old when they and another youth tried to rob him at gunpoint Friday night, authorities said.

According to the Sheriff ’s Department, the officer was walking on the sidewalk on 1st Avenue, south of Colorado Boulevard, just after 8 p.m. when the teens attacked him from behind.

One of the teens hit the officer in the head several times while another pointed a gun at him and demanded his property, Deputy Caroline Rodriguez said in a written statement.

The officer “thought the subjects were going to rob and shoot him so he retrieved his department-issued handgun,” Rodriguez said.

The officer shot at the teens, hitting two of them. They were taken to a hospital, she said.

The 15-year-old was pronounced dead at 5:34 a.m. Saturday. A 14-year-old remains in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, said Deputy Guillermina Saldaña.

The third boy was later arrested not far from the shooting scene on suspicion of robbery, Rodriguez said.

A handgun was recovered at the scene, she said.

The officer had some bruising to his face, which did not require medical treatment, Rodriguez said.