An Orange County sheriff's deputy shot a man suspected of robbing a Lake Forest AT&T phone store Tuesday morning, officials said.
The man, who may be linked to a Nov. 28 robbery at the same store, is being treated at Mission Hospital for non-life-threatening wounds.
According to authorities, a man wearing a ski mask walked into the store at 23842 El Toro Road around 9 a.m. and pointed a handgun at several customers. After taking a bag of cash, he fled on foot.
An armed store security guard gave chase, borrowing a burgundy Suzuki vehicle from a person in the parking lot and calling 911.
At least two others—including a mailman who saw the suspect drop some cash—joined the pursuit, officials said.
An on-duty sheriff's investigator who was in the area in an unmarked vehicle responded to the robbery report, spotting the suspect running near Rockfield Boulevard and Landisview Avenue.
The deputy, who was in plainclothes, "called out commands" that were ignored by the suspect, then shot him twice near the intersection of Landisview and Belgreen Place, according to sheriff's officials. Meanwhile, the security guard crashed the Suzuki into a black pickup parked on Belgreen.
Paramedics treated the suspect and took him to Mission Hospital with non-life-threatening wounds, officials said.
Belgreen was quickly blocked off as deputies interviewed people down the street from Gates Elementary School. The stolen cash and a gun were recovered.
Deputies also towed away a blue Nissan Altima they believe the suspect planned to use for a getaway. The car, which was parked on Belgreen, isn't owned by the suspect, officials said.
This was the second robbery at the AT&T store in less than a month. The suspect in Tuesday's robbery matches the description of the suspect from , officials said. Surveillance footage from the first robbery will be reviewed to see if a positive match can be made, officials said.
The suspect in the November robbery was a Hispanic male in his 30s, approximately 6 feet tall, weighing 175 to 200 pounds, according to witnesses and surveillance tape.
The district attorney's office is also investigating the case, as it does for all deputy-involved shootings.
