Officers Kill Suspect in ‘Sting’ Robbery

Anti-gang police officers investigating a spate of South Los Angeles street robberies shot and killed a man, wounded a woman and captured a third suspect who allegedly tried to hold up an officer posing as a victim early Thursday.

The slain suspect, identified as Ronald Jones, 26, of Los Angeles, died on the front lawn of a house where he had apparently tried to hide after he was fired on by four officers, Lt. William Hall said.

The man had simulated having a gun when he allegedly tried to rob a female undercover officer moments before. After he was fired on by one two-officer team and, seconds later as he ran, by another pair of officers, he was found to be armed with a screwdriver, Hall said.

The female suspect, identified as Cecilia Brown, 30, was wounded by a fifth officer as she tried to run from the shooting scene. Brown, shot twice in the abdomen, was taken into surgery at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center and was expected to recover.

A third suspect, Kevin Grigsby, 27, of Los Angeles, had been waiting in a car for his accomplices, Hall said. He was captured after a brief chase.

Police planned to seek murder charges against both Brown and Grigsby because their accomplice was killed while they allegedly committed a crime, Hall said. The two male suspects were believed to be gang members.