Teen fatally shot by LA deputy who thought he had gun

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy fatally shot a 16-year-old boy who was thought to have a gun tucked into his waistband and investigators believe someone in a crowd that rushed in after the shooting may have taken a gun from the teenager's body, officials said today.

Deputies were first called to the scene in South Los Angeles after someone called 911 Sunday night to report that a man had pointed a gun at his car and he believed he was going to be shot.

Deputies encountered a 16-year-old boy who matched the suspect's description – a black man wearing a black T-shirt and jeans – and ordered him to stop, but the teen took off running in an apartment complex, detectives said.

The boy, who was identified by family members as Anthony Jacob Weber, appeared to have a gun tucked into his waistband and away from the deputies, sheriff's Capt. Chris Bergner said. A witness told detectives they remembered hearing the deputies yell out, "Don't reach for it!" but didn't know whether Weber had a gun, he said.

The deputies chased Weber into the courtyard of an apartment complex, where he turned around and reached for his waistband, Bergner said. As he turned around, a deputy opened fire, shooting off 10 rounds, the captain said. It was unclear how many times Weber was shot.

About 30 to 40 people flooded into the apartment complex's courtyard and surrounded the two deputies as Weber lay wounded on the floor, officials said. Investigators believe that while the deputies were waiting for backup to arrive someone in the crowd grabbed the gun from the scene.