Body Found After Shootout Between Deputies, Suspects During Wild Pursuit From Compton To Inglewood

INGLEWOOD (CBSLA) — A 65-year-old man was found shot to death in the street after Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies exchanged gunfire with at least one suspect during a pursuit late Wednesday night that wound its way from Compton into Inglewood.

According to the sheriff's department, the incident began when deputies tried to pull over a suspected drunk driver in a black Cadillac Escalade at around 11:20 p.m.

The driver refused to stop, leading to a chase in which at least one or possibly more suspects opened fire on deputies at multiple points during the pursuit, the sheriff's department said.

During the pursuit, a deputy-involved shooting occurred at about 11:35 p.m. in the 400 block of West Spruce Street in Compton, the sheriff's department told CBS2. A 65-year-old man later identified by the L.A. County coroner's office as Rickie Cornell Starks was found shot to death in the street at that location.

It's unclear if Starks was an innocent bystander who got caught in the crossfire, or whether he was already dead prior to the pursuit.

The chase wound its way onto the 105 Freeway in Inglewood before finally coming to an end in the area of Manchester Boulevard and Inglewood Avenue, where the suspects abandoned their car and ran.

LASD SWAT teams set up a perimeter as they searched for the suspects. The sheriff's department said that the SWAT operation ended just before 4:30 a.m. Thursday. At least one person was taken into custody.

A sheriff's spokesperson told CBS2 there were at least six crime scenes in connection with the pursuit. Sheriff Alex Villanueva tweeted that deputies escaped with only minor injuries, sharing photos of bullet-riddled squad cars.

"Policy considerations change drastically when fired upon by a suspect with an AK-47," the tweet read.

Manchester Boulevard was shut down at Inglewood Avenue as of 6 a.m.  Authorities were asking the public to avoid the area.

In:
• Pursuit