Police Get Into Shootout With Kidnap Suspect In South LA After Wild Chase
SOUTH LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Police pursued a possible kidnapping suspect in South LA Friday evening and then engaged in a shootout with the suspect at the end of the chase.
Before the shootout, officials told CBS2 and KCAL9 the suspect was armed and dangerous.
He got out of the car at the end of the pursuit after about a half hour defiant and pointing a handgun at authorities.
After he appeared to fire off a round, deputies quickly returned fire at Vermont and 43rd Place.
The chase was first reported about 5:10 p.m.
The suspect was driving erratically, according to Sky9's Stu Mundel.
"The wheels are smoking," Mundel said. "It appears the driver's brakes are hot."
The man plowed through intersections, narrowly missing pedestrians. Officials at one point threw down a spike strip to disable the man's tires.
About 20 minutes into the chase, the man narrowly missed a skateboarder.
At the culmination of the chase, the suspect got out of the vehicle and brandished a weapon. He also appeared to be screaming at law enforcement officers. He was shown raising his weapon and firing.
After apparently being shot, the suspect fled but appeared to collapse less than 100 feet away on the porch of a home.
While he was on his back, deputies ordered the man to lie still.
At least eight officers could be seen aiming weapons at the suspect.
The suspect stumbled on and collapsed on what could be his own house.
The suspect remained on his back in the prone position. Deputies approached cautiously as the suspect continued to have a gun in his hand.
No deputies were injured in the incident. Officials said the suspect was shot "at least once" in the upper torso.
The wounded suspect, who at times stood, leaned against a wall or stayed on his back, was taken into custody just before 7 p.m.
Earlier, neighbors told CBS2's Adrianna Weingold that a family that lives in the home where the suspect collapsed was escorted to safety. A family that lives in a back house on the property was also rescued.
Neighbors told Weingold that deputies kicked in the door to get them to safety.
The suspect remained on the home's porch for more than an hour before walking toward SWAT officers in an armored vehicle and surrendering to police.
Late Friday, officials said the suspect was wanted on the kidnapping charge because he forced his wife into a vehicle at gunpoint this past Sunday in the city of Paramount.
She was able to escape when she said she had to use the restroom at her mother's house. He is also accused of assaulting and pistol-whipping his wife.
The suspect's firearm was recovered on the porch where he collapsed after being shot.
Devine Rodriguez told CBS2's Rachel Kim that her boyfriend's aunt lives next to where the suspect collapsed and was stuck inside during the ordeal.
"She said if anything happens and say they start shooting, and she is there, she might be in the crossfire between all that," said Rodriguez.
The suspect's condition is not known, Kim reported.
