Security Guard Says He Got Into Earlier Altercation With Unarmed Homeless Man Killed By Santa Ana Officer
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — A security guard said he got into a fight with the unarmed 22-year-old homeless man who was shot and killed by a Santa Ana police officer last week.
The man, who wished to remain unidentified, said on July 12—two weeks before Hans Kevin Arellano was shot once in the chest in a shopping center parking lot during a confrontation with a female veteran officer—he got into a physical altercation with the suspect outside of Northgate Market on Harbor Boulevard.
The security guard said he witnessed Arellano stealing a 25-ounce can of beer inside of the store and he confronted him outside in the parking lot.
"I told him, 'Just show me what you have.' He lifted up his shirt and he took it out with his right hand. I told him, 'What is that?' He said it was a Budweiser can; a beer. I told him, 'Why did you take it?' He didn't say anything," he told KCAL9's Michele Gile.
When the security guard reached for his handcuffs, Arellano allegedly slammed the can of beer into the side of the victim's head, which stunned him.
The guard then grabbed mace he kept on his belt.
"When I sprayed it, he grabbed it…I was still dizzy from the hit…and hit it towards me and it got me," he said.
The security guard was taken away by ambulance after Arellano fled the scene.
He later identified Arellano to police and told officers the suspect appeared to be under the influence.
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