Costa Mesa police justified in shooting armed burglary suspect who broke into boat sale business

Police shot an armed burglary suspect in Costa Mesa Wednesday afternoon after he was said to have refused to comply with their orders.

The burglary, took place at a boat sale and repair shop located in the 2200 block of Newport Boulevard a little before 5:20 a.m. Upon entry into the building, the suspect tripped the alarm system, according to Costa Mesa Police Department.

Responding officers found the glass door of the business broken and heard several noises coming from within the building.

As they entered the lobby, they saw the suspect, now identified as 35-year-old Hugo Standley Vargas, armed with a knife.

When officers asked him to drop the weapon, he is said to have ignored them, retreating into the back of the business before returning with a rifle.

According to police, Vargas began to advance and refused to comply with their requests to drop the weapon, prompting them to open fire. He was struck by multiple shots.

He was taken to a nearby hospital and is expected to survive his injuries.