A 17-year-old girl died in the lobby of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department station late Sunday after she allegedly she got hold of a deputy’s gun and shot herself.
The department has not released the girl’s name, and officials say she was able to take the deputy’s weapon remains unclear.
The incident began at about 7:25 p.m., when deputies got a 911 call about a family disturbance in the 300 block of Clintwood Avenue in La Puente, officials said. The girl’s foster family — who had phoned in the disturbance — told deputies the teen was having a mental health crisis, and raised concerns that she might harm herself, according to sources in the department.
But by the time deputies responded to the scene about a mile from the station, the girl had already left on foot. While her foster father stayed behind to meet the deputies, officials said, her foster mother went out to try to find her.
At that point, authorities said, it wasn’t clear where she was headed.
About 15 minutes later, the teen arrived at the City of Industry sheriff’s, according to a news release.
She was not armed, officials said, but she started knocking on the front door, causing a commotion as she made noise and banged on the glass. When a deputy casually opened the door, the girl “lunged into the lobby” and reached for the deputy’s holstered gun, according to officials and department sources.
