A private security guard fatally shot a gunman at an Apple store early Monday in what police said was the latest attempt to steal prized electronic gear from the high-end retailer.
Two other suspects were arrested after the driver of the getaway car died from his head wound and the car crashed. The driver's name was not immediately released.
The two passengers ran into a neighborhood, where police locked down schools for about an hour before the man and woman were found in the courtyard of a condominium complex in Chula Vista.
They were identified as Johnny Chenda, 25, and Melissa Ortiz, 21, and both had prior criminal records, police said.
Chenda is a suspected gang member and convicted felon. He and Ortiz were arrested on suspicion of robbery and other crimes and remained jailed Tuesday, according to the San Diego County sheriff's jail website.
Thieves using everything from sledgehammers to rocks have smashed the glass doors and windows of Apple stores across the country, stealing tens of thousands of dollars in high-tech gear in seconds.
Many of the stores have been hit more than once in only a few months. Some have turned to armed guards such as the one in Chula Vista, after unarmed security failed to intervene when thieves flashed guns.
Chula Vista police investigator Capt. Gary Ficacci said he believes Monday's break-in was the first time someone was killed during an Apple store burglary.
Amy Barney, an Apple spokeswoman, declined to comment, saying local police would be the best source of information.
In Monday's theft, an armed guard was inside the store with the manager when two men forced open the door just before 7 a.m., Ficacci said.
They apparently planned to smash store cases but they spotted the guard and "one of the guys began shooting almost immediately," Ficacci said.
The guard — a former San Diego County sheriff's deputy — returned fire and the gunfight continued out in front of the store, Ficacci said.
