Southern California police shot and wounded a suspected burglar who was allegedly armed with a rifle early Wednesday, authorities said.
The shooting occurred in the city of Costa Mesa, about 45 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, around 5:15 a.m. after officers responded to a burglary alarm.
The alleged burglar, Hugo Standley Vargas, 35, was in stable condition after being shot multiple times and is expected to survive, police said. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Vargas was arrested and booked on multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon upon a police officer, commercial burglary and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
When police arrived, they found a shattered glass door at a business and heard noises from inside, Costa Mesa police said in a statement. Officers saw Vargas, who allegedly had a knife, in the lobby area.
Vargas allegedly ignored multiple orders to drop the weapon and went deeper into the business, going out of the officers' sight, police said. Police had a less-than-lethal device prepared when Vargas suddenly came outside with a rifle.
Vargas allegedly advanced quickly toward the officers, police said, and they opened fire. Vargas was struck multiple times and dropped the gun.
No officers were injured, and the shooting is under investigation.
