On-Air Now
On-Air Now

Man Shot in Fullerton After Harming Police K-9

By

/

FULLERTON (CNS) – A man was shot and wounded this morning by Fullerton
officers and a police dog suffered an injury in a takedown of the suspect,
police said.
The officer-involved-shooting took place in the 1100 block East Chapman
Avenue about 1 a.m., Fullerton police spokeswoman Kathryn Hamel said.
Officers responded to a call about a man brandishing weapon and one of
the officers detained Jimmy Lastra, 42, of Artesia who matched the description
of the suspect, Hamel said. Lastra was armed with a knife.
Officers ordered Lastra to drop the knife multiple times, Hamel said.
But he refused to drop his weapon. Officers then used non-lethal sponge rounds
to try to disarm him, but Lastra held onto his knife.
Finally, a police dog was deployed to try to take Lastra down, Hamel
said. When Lastra turned his knife on to the dog to defend himself, officers
fired and wounded him. Lastra was transported to a hospital for treatment of
non-life-threatening injuries.
Officers later discovered that Lastra had an outstanding warrant for
assault and battery and will face new charges as a result of this incident.
The police dog, Rotar, was treated for minor injuries at Yorba Regional
Animal Hospital and will return to work — in about a week, Hamel estimated.
The dog was not stabbed.
The shooting was being investigated by the department and by the Orange
County District Attorney’s office.
Anyone with information on this shooting was asked to call the Fullerton
police at (714) 738-6800. Tipsters can also call Orange County Crime Stoppers
at (855) TIP-OCCS. All tips can be made anonymously.