LAPD searching for murder parolee after standoff in South Los Angeles

A man on active parole for a murder conviction escaped after Los Angeles Police Department officers found him allegedly armed with a rifle in South Los Angeles, police said Wednesday.

Officers were still searching for Ezequiel Garcia, 42, more than 12 hours after receiving a 911 call about him allegedly loading a rifle while standing next to a car near East 69th Street and Avalon Boulevard in the Florence neighborhood of South LA. They first responded to that call around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday and were still searching for Garcia by 8 a.m. the following morning.

LAPD has said he should be considered armed and dangerous.

Officers found the suspect as soon as they arrived to the scene Tuesday night but he ran from them, police said. He allegedly left the rifle behind as he ran off, and officers found the weapon. They allegedly saw him "reaching for his waistband" just before going into a nearby junkyard, LAPD said in a news release, so they requested SWAT officers and K-9 units.

By 5 a.m., several officers were still outside a business in the 6800 block of Avalon Boulevard, where they believed Garcia was barricading himself inside. They searched the business and surrounding area but could not find him.

"After several hours of searching, it was determined the suspect was no longer in the area," LAPD said in a news release Wednesday morning, which was issued more than 12 hours after officers first responded to the 911 call.

Earlier in the morning, LAPD officials told KCAL News that the man had dropped his driver's license as officers were chasing after him. They used that license to identify him as Garcia, who is on active parole for murder. 

People who live in the area were told to stay inside their homes and shelter in place. Gil Villalobos, whose parents live nearby, said his parents were staying inside as they waited for the standoff to end. He also said he heard police found a gun.

"They did find a shotgun that the guy threw somewhere — we don't know where," Villalobos said.

LAPD has not released any other details as the investigation and search continue.