Man Fatally Shot by CHP Officer at Los Cerritos Center Identified

April 10, 2024

CERRITOS — Authorities on Monday identified the man who was fatally shot by a California Highway Patrol officer outside the Los Cerritos Center mall.

Mauricio Sandoval, 46, died at a hospital, the L.A. Medical Examiner reported on Monday.

According to the sheriff’s department, the CHP’s Southern Division Organized Retail Crime Task Force was conducting an operation at the shopping center, and three suspects were identified as being involved in criminal activity.

The suspects fled the Los Cerritos Center and two of them — a man and a woman — drove away in a vehicle and were later captured in Pico Rivera, the sheriff’s department reported.

“The third suspect, a … male adult, ran through the parking lot, produced a firearm, and an officer-involved shooting occurred,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.

Detectives recovered a firearm at the scene. Sheriff’s detectives assisted the CHP in the investigation of the shooting.

Video footage circulating on social media depicts sounds of gunshots, prompting shoppers to frantically run from stores into the parking lot.