Gunman Shot And Killed During Downtown High-Rise Hostage Rescue
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - A violent crime spree ended Friday night with a suspect being shot and killed in a downtown Los Angeles high-rise.
Police and SWAT officers responded to calls at the Santa Fe Lofts and Apartments high-rise building apartment around 4:10pm Friday, where a suspect barricaded himself and the hostage inside an apartment.
Video posted to Twitter by a witness across the street showed the man holding a gun to the hostage's head and dragging her to different areas of the apartment before several police officers equipped with tactical gear entered the room and rescued the woman, killing the suspect.
"Based on the already incredibly violent actions and fearing the suspect was going to kill the hostage, SWAT entered the apartment," LAPD officials tweeted late Friday. "An officer shot the suspect, who was struck by gunfire and ... died at scene."
While not physically harmed, she was taken to the hospital for a full examination.
"It was definitely jarring," said a neighbor identified only as Dylan, who lives a few floors above the scene of the hostage standoff. "It was kind of wild, though. I was like, this should not be happening in downtown Los Angeles."
LAPD Detective Meghan Aguilar told reporters that prior to the hostage situation, the suspect went into a nearby business where he threatened a family and then opened fire, injuring a 14-year-old boy, who was grazed in the arm by a bullet. From there, he attempted to carjack a woman at gunpoint.
"He also accosted a woman on the street, put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger," Aguilar said. "Luckily, the gun did not go off."
Charlotte White, who also lives in the building, said she was happy that she wasn't at home, though she worried about her neighbors.
"...gunshots, it can't be a good feeling," she said.
Neighbors who spoke with CBSLA about the horrific crime scene said their feeling of safety grows smaller by the day.
"We have security and they do their best, but COVID has really decimated this part of town," Dylan said.
So far, LAPD has not released the name of the suspect, and at this time, investigators don't believe that the suspect knew any of the victims.