Brice Quintin Jefferson, 24

Brice Quintin Jefferson, a 24-year-old black man, was fatally shot Friday, April 26 in the 11400 block of South Vermont Avenue in Athens, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.

Jefferson was shot by a deputy after he used the car he was driving to pin a detective to the ground, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The shooting occurred after Jefferson and his girlfriend got into a fight and he allegedly kidnapped her two young daughters from a shopping center near South Vermont Avenue and Imperial Highway, authorities said. Driving the girlfriend's car, Jefferson dropped the children at a nearby supermarket and then returned to the shopping center.

A group of sheriff’s deputies had arrived at the center and were interviewing the girlfriend when Jefferson got there, authorities said. He allegedly used his vehicle to strike a patrol car and knock a detective to the ground, which prompted a deputy to shoot him. Struck several times by gunfire, Jefferson was pronounced dead at the scene.

The detective, a 44-year-old male whose name has not been released, was taken to a local hospital, treated and released, authorities said. The girlfriend and her daughters — ages 8 and 7 months — were unharmed.

Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.

-- Kurt Streeter