Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department released a critical incident briefing on the fatal shooting of an armed suspect clad in a bulletproof vest in Diamond Bar.

The suspect, 30-year-old Benjamin Chin, decided to shoot off rounds from a semi-automatic weapon while clad in an armored vest on Crooked Creek Drive in Diamond Bar June 19, 2023. His mother pleaded with him and physically tried to get him to stop shooting, but chin stabbed his mother in the back with a knife.

Chin’s escapades were caught on residential security video and deputy body camera recordings.

Chin’s mother approached deputies as they readied weapons. A deputy’s body cam recording showed one of her hands covered in blood. She pleaded with deputies to not kill her son.

Chin continued to saunter from Crooked Creek Drive eastbound to Diamond Bar Boulevard where he apparently aimed his weapon at a driver who was forced to stop.

Body cam video shows the confrontation between deputies and Chin, who either ignored, or could not understand commands to drop the weapon and surrender.

Deputies shot Chin, who was struck several times and slowly collapsed to the street.

Chin was treated by both deputies and Los Angeles County Fire paramedics. He was transported to a hospital where he later died. His mother survived her wounds.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - Homicide investigators over the weekend named the suspect who was shot and killed by deputies after he decided to randomly fire his assault weapon throughout a Diamond Bar neighborhood.

Benjamin Chin, 30, had been shot several times in the upper torso after allegedly refusing to comply with commands from deputies to drop his weapon. He was hospitalized and died the evening of the shooting, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The Walnut/Diamond Bar Sheriff’s Station received 911 calls of a stabbing around 11:36 a.m. Monday, June 19. More 911 calls followed from witnesses reporting gunfire, according to Lt. Hugo Reynaga of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.

Chin stabbed his mother once in the back.

Some time after stabbing his mother, the suspect retrieved a bulletproof vest and high-powered rifle. His mother followed him for about a half mile to Crooked Creek and Diamond Bar Boulevard where the suspect reportedly began firing rounds in the air from his rifle.

The suspect reportedly pointed his rifle at an approaching driver who quickly fled the area. The suspect then crossed onto Diamond Bar Boulevard and allegedly pointed a rifle at a pedestrian. A deputy used a patrol car to create a barrier between the pedestrian and suspect, Reynaga said.

Two deputies verbally ordered the suspect to drop the weapon. He reportedly refused and the deputies fired on him striking him three times, Reynaga said.

The mother was treated for her wounds at a hospital and released that afternoon.

The suspect’s vest was equipped with two trauma plates, one in front and one in back. It is not readily clear if the suspect was struck on those trauma plates.

A knife was retrieved along with the suspect’s weapon.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

DIAMOND BAR - A suspect who shot off a high-powered rifle after stabbing his mother in a Diamond Bar neighborhood remains hospitalized, investigators said Monday.

The suspect, who remains publicly unidentified, stabbed his mother once in the back after getting to an argument with her in the 2900 block of Crooked Creek Drive.

The Walnut/Diamond Bar Sheriff’s Station received 911 calls of a stabbing around 11:36 a.m. Monday, June 19. More 911 calls followed from witnesses reporting gunfire, according to Lt. Hugo Reynaga of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.

Some point after stabbing his mother, the suspect retrieved a bulletproof vest and high-powered rifle. His mother followed for about a half mile to Crooked Creek and Diamond Bar Boulevard where the suspect reportedly began firing rounds in the air from his rifle.

The suspect reportedly pointed his rifle at a driver who quickly fled the area. The suspect then crossed onto Diamond Bar Boulevard and allegedly pointed a rifle at a pedestrian and a deputy used a patrol car to create a barrier between the pedestrian and suspect, Reynaga said at a Monday afternoon press conference.

Two deputies verbally ordered the suspect to drop the weapon. He reportedly refused and the deputies fired on him striking him three times, Reynaga said.

The suspect’s vest was equipped with two trauma plates, one in front and one in back. It is not readily clear if the suspect was struck on those trauma plates.

After the suspect fell he was treated by deputies on scene and he was transported. The loaded rifle was recovered along with a knife and additional loaded magazine, Reynaga said.

It is unclear if the suspect was legally allowed to own the weapons and it is unclear if the suspect had any mental illness.