



SANTA ANA, Calif. -- A man died after being hit in the head by a skateboard outside of a Santa Ana Starbucks store. Police are now investigating whether it was self-defense or an act of aggression that prompted the hit.



According to the LA Times, officers were called to the coffee shop around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.



Detectives said a man in his 50s walked into the store and approached a man in his 20s. The two eventually got into a verbal argument, police said, which led to a physical fight.



The younger man apparently used his skateboard in the fight, police said. The older man was struck and went into cardiac arrest. He was later taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.



Several witnesses told KTLA that the older man was acting erratically -- bothering customers and punching store windows.



"He just came abruptly into the store, looked at the kid, and said, 'Did I stutter?'" witness Jocelyn Martinez told KTLA. "He took at step forward towards the kid as if he were going to attack him, and that's when the kid hit him with the skateboard."



"He did what anybody, I guess, would do when they feel attacked. They're going to protect themselves," Martinez told the station.



The younger man was cooperating with detectives.



The Starbucks was closed during the investigation.