Car Theft Suspect Points Sawed-Off Shotgun at Hollenbeck Patrol Officer; Officers Shoot the Armed Juvenile Before He Fires a Loaded 20-Gauge Shotgun
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — On Saturday night, February 6, 2016, at approximately 10:45 pm, LAPD Patrol Officers identified a stolen Honda traveling down Lorena Street in LAPD‘s Hollenbeck Area. The officers activated their overhead emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop and the driver of the stolen vehicle pulled into the driveway of a home on 6th Street west of Lorena. The officer’s began approaching the vehicle when the driver’s door opened and the officers saw the suspect point a sawed-off shotgun at one of the approaching officers. Both officers then fired several rounds from their semi-automatic handguns striking the suspect.
The officers immediately called for additional police resources and requested paramedics to respond and provide medical treatment to the suspect. Los Angeles Fire Department Paramedics, however, were unable to revive the suspect and he died at the scene.
The suspect was later identified as a 16-year-old male driving a vehicle that had been stolen earlier in the day from a nearby neighborhood. A loaded, 20-gauge shotgun with an illegally modified shortened barrel and altered stock was recovered at the scene.
LAPD’s specialized Force Investigation Division is conducting a thorough investigation of the officer-involved shooting which will be presented to the Chief of Police and the Board of Police Commissioners to determine whether the use of deadly force and tactics employed by the officers complied with LAPD’s policies and procedures. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office will also review the evidence collected during the investigation to determine whether any criminal laws were violated.
