A man who was acting erratically outside a McDonald’s in Fullerton died after officers shot him with a beanbag shotgun, according to law enforcement.
A Fullerton Police Department spokesperson confirmed to KTLA that officers were dispatched to the McDonald’s, located in the 1300 block of South Brookhurst Road, regarding a call stating that two men were standing in front of the business’ doors, possibly under the influence of drugs.
The individual who called police was the restaurant manager, who said they feared for their employees’ safety as they began to arrive for work, police said.
“Officers arrived on scene and contacted one shirtless male adult, who was uncooperative with officers’ commands,” Fullerton police said in a press release. “The man began swinging a belt at officers as they began to contact him.”
Additional officers were dispatched to the area, officials said, and when they arrived, they deployed a taser to attempt to subdue the man.
However, the taser was ineffective and the man remained uncooperative while continuing to act erratically, FPD said.
“Officers then utilized a less lethal kinetic energy projectile and struck the suspect, allowing officers to take him into custody,” the Fullerton Police Department’s release stated. “At this time in the investigation, it is believed the suspect sustained a significant injury to the chest area as a result of the use of the less lethal kinetic energy projectile.”
After he was struck, officers immediately began life saving measures on the man while paramedics responded. He was transported to a local trauma center where he was later pronounced deceased, police confirmed.
The man’s identity has not yet been released by the Orange County Coroner.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is conducting an independent investigation into the in-custody death.
According to the United States Department of Defense’s Non-Lethal Weapons Program, non-lethal projectile launchers are designed for force protection, detainee operations and crowd control, among other uses.