Killed: Charley Saturmin Robinet (seen here in his mugshot from 2000) was killed in a scuffle with LA police on Skid Row on Sunday, prompting protests . A homeless man shot dead by the LAPD stole a Frenchman's identity more than 15 years ago and was wanted for violating terms of a bank robbery conviction, officials said last night. Charley Saturmin Robinet, 39, was killed on Los Angeles' impoverished Skid Row when he allegedly tried to grab the holstered pistol of an officer while police arrested him on Sunday. The shooting was caught by an onlooker on a video that went viral, leading to protests and calls by civil rights activists for a special police commission hearing on the use of force. Originally thought to be French, officials now say Robinet stole the identity of a Frenchman with the same name and birth date to apply for a French passport in the 1990s, when he came to the U.S. to pursue an acting career. His true identity remains unknown, said Axel Cruau, the consul general for France in Los Angeles. According to the consulate's account, Robinet was identified as a French national in 2000 when robbed a Wells Fargo branch in Thousand Oaks, some 40 miles west of downtown Los Angeles, and pistol-whipped an employee. He served around 13 years in prison for the crime, in which he, an accomplice and getaway driver stole $33,500 in a bid to pay for acting classes at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. But when the French consulate tried to support him ahead of his 2013 release, officials discovered the original Robinet and realised the prisoner was an imposter. Mr Cruau said: 'The real Charley Robinet is in France apparently living a totally normal life and totally unaware his identity had been stolen years and years ago.' Scroll down for video . WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT . Shot dead: Charley Saturmin Robinet, circled in red, was gunned down by the Los Angeles Police Department on Sunday. Above is the moment directly after the fatal scuffle, after police had backed away . Proof? Police say this frame shows Charley Saturmin Robinet, circled center, reaching up for a police officer's gun during the fatal encounter on Sunday in Los Angeles . While in federal prison in Rochester, Minnesota, the bank robber known as Robinet was assigned to the mental health unit. Medical staff there determined he was suffering from 'a mental disease or defect' that required treatment in a psychiatric hospital, documents show. After his release from federal prison Robinet spent six months in a halfway house before being fully released in May 2014, said Ed Ross, a spokesman for the Bureau of Prisons. Foreign nationals are usually deported after serving their sentences, but France would not take him because he could not prove was French. Because of a 2001 Supreme Court ruling on the rights of 'stateless' people, Robinet was set free. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Virginia Kice said she couldn't immediately comment on his immigration history. Under the terms of the man's release, he was required to provide reports to his probation officer at the beginning of each month, . Deputy U.S. Marshal Matthew Cordova said he failed to do so in November, December and January, leading to the issue of a federal warrant - which triggered the fatal clash with police. The head of the Union Rescue Mission, outside which Robinet was shot, told Reuters that Robinet had been living in a tent outside the mission for weeks and had a history of violent, erratic behavior. He went by the street name of Africa and lived among one of the largest homeless communities in the United States, with more than 3,000 people. On Monday LAPD Chief Charlie Beck confirmed the footage from body cameras worn by an officer and a sergeant provided a 'unique perspective' of the incident. However, he said that the force would not be releasing the video yet. According to the LA Times he also would not be drawn on what the footage actually revealed. 'At the end of the investigation into this officer-involved shooting ... we will release the complete investigation through the inspector general's office,' Beck said. 'If there is a criminal proceeding in this or if there's a civil proceeding in this, we will make all evidence available through those proceedings.' Killing: This is the moment police fired shots at Charley Saturmin Robinet, who is obscured from view in the above frame by an officer. The LAPD have claimed he was trying to take an officer's gun . Before the fatal shooting: He was being confronted over reports of a robbery before five shots were fired . The three officers who fired their weapons at Robinet were veterans of the Skid Row beat who had special training to deal with mentally ill and other people in the downtrodden area, said Beck. But a rookie officer who cried out that the man had his gun, leading to the shooting, had considerably less experience. The LAPD didn't immediately say how much training he had received in dealing with mentally ill people. All officers must go through at least an 11-hour course. Police Chief Charlie Beck said some of the veteran officers had 'completed our most extensive mental illness training over a 36-hour course.' Initial signs showed the officers used what they had learned during the confrontation, despite the outcome, he said. Shooting: The attack took place in the Skid Row district of Los Angeles, which is known for its large homeless population . 'Damaged gun': The LAPD said this image shows the officer's pistol after the encounter. LA police chief Charlie Beck said damaged magazine and a partially-discharged bullet prove there was a struggle over it . 'The way you have conversations, the way you offer options, the way that you give some space, the body language that you portray, the way that you escalate, all of that is part of the training,' Beck said on Monday. 'I will make judgment on that when I review the totality of the investigation, but on the face of it, it appears they did try all of that.' The shooting was captured on video but exactly what happened remained unclear. The footage has been viewed by millions of people online. Several dozen people rallied Tuesday in protest of the shooting. There was a moment of silence, and participant Patrisse Cullors declared the shooting site to be 'sacred ground.' A memorial at the site of the shooting features white roses placed over a tent, blankets and clothing belonging to the man known as 'Africa.' Angry protests: People walk through skid row in protest against the killing of a homeless man by police in Los Angeles on Tuesday . The specialized training came under the nationwide Safer Cities Initiative, designed to tone down encounters between police and people on the streets. Footage showed the homeless man reaching toward the rookie officer's waistband, Beck said. The officer's gun was later found partly cocked and jammed with a round of ammunition in the chamber and another in the ejection port, indicating a struggle for the weapon, Beck said. 'You can hear the young officer who was primarily engaged in the confrontation saying that "He has my gun. He has my gun,'' Beck said. 'He says it several times, with conviction.' The three other officers then opened fire. The man who was shot was black, as is the rookie officer who was just short of completing his probationary year on the force, police said. Senseless: People protest against the killing in Los Angeles in the Skid Row area of the city . The violence had echoes of the August police shooting of 25-year-old Ezell Ford, whose death in a struggle with Los Angeles officers brought demonstrations in the city. Ford was unarmed. Police said he was shot after reaching for an officer's gun. Video was taken came from multiple perspectives, including two witnesses recording from their phones and cameras worn by two of the officers who fired their weapons. Beck said officers had arrived to investigate a robbery report and the homeless man refused to obey their commands and became combative. A security camera outside a homeless shelter about 75 feet away showed the man pushed over a neighbor's tent and the two people had a dispute. When officers arrived, they tried to speak to the suspect. He turned and jumped into his tent, and officers appeared to pull it up and over him to roust him from inside. The man jumped out flailing and kicking before ending up on the ground. In memoriam: This carboard plaque pays tribute to Charley Saturmin Robinet, who was known as Cameroon or Africa by locals . Beck said officers didn't know if the suspect was arming himself. Stun guns 'appeared to have little effect, and he continued to violently resist,' Beck said. One witness began filming from a closer perspective. As the man took swings, four officers wrestled him to the ground. The struggle became blurry and distant, but shouting could be heard, followed by five apparent gunshots. The Los Angeles Police Department's inspector general and the city's district attorney are investigating the shooting. Two of the officers suffered minor injuries, including the rookie officer, who is on crutches. All four officers are on paid leave.
Charley Saturmin Robinet, 39, killed in struggle which was caught on film . Police say Robinet tried to grab a gun, but footage sparked angry protests . Police were trying to arrest him for not reporting to probation officials . He stole $33,500 in 2000 to fund acting classes at Beverly Hills Playhouse . He served 13 years' jail for armed robbery and had mental health issues . Originally thought to be French, authorities now say he stole his identity . He gained passport in 1990s under name and birth date of innocent man .