Los Angeles Police Department officers shot and killed a person suspected of fleeing the scene of a vehicle crash in Historic South-Central L.A., authorities said Friday.
Police said a handgun was later found at the site of the deadly shooting. Although it’s unclear whether the person fatally shot was armed.
Officers with the department’s Newton Division were driving in the 2200 block of Wall Street around 9:40 p.m. Thursday when they saw a car back up and slam into a parked vehicle, according to LAPD. They tried to pull the car over but it would not stop, police said.
So the officers followed the car into an alley, where the car stopped and three people got out and fled, LAPD officials said. The officers then fired at the trio, wounding one of them, police said.
Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded and pronounced the person dead at the scene, according to LAPD. The person has only been described by police as male; his age and identity are not yet known.
According to LAPD, one of the three people was armed with a handgun, and the firearm was later recovered from the scene. However, it’s not clear which person was allegedly armed and whether it was the person killed.
Also unclear is what exactly led officers to shoot or whether they knew someone was armed before opening fire. “We don’t speculate on anything,” said an LAPD spokeswoman, Officer Norma Eisenman, noting the investigation is ongoing.
After the shooting, officers set up a perimeter to search for the other two people, police said. The pair was eventually found and taken into custody without incident.
No officers were wounded in the shooting. Authorities have not released further details.
