Body camera footage released Tuesday shows the moment sheriff’s deputies unleashed a hail of gunfire as they confronted an armed robbery suspect in Norwalk.
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in a parking lot near Studebaker Road and Rosecrans Avenue.
Deputies responded to the area after a report that a man armed with a shotgun had just robbed a liquor store, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Surveillance video from the business showed the suspect, 38-year-old Jerald Hardcastle of Lake Elsinore, hold the shotgun as the cashier hands over cash and merchandise. The armed robbery unfolded in front of several customers.
When deputies located the suspect, they ordered him to surrender but he refused to comply.
Deputies then approached him using a ballistic shield, a Taser and a 40-mm foam projectile launcher, authorities said. At the time, Hardcastle was behind the side of a vehicle.
A witness captured the confrontation as the deputies moved in. A still image shows the shotgun in his Hardcastle’s hand. For a time, he holds the weapon above his head, but refuses to drop it. When he suddenly moves, deputies open fire.