This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Anaheim Officers Shoot At Third Person In Less Than A Week
Photo by Arthur Eugene Preston via Shutterstock
Early this morning police officers in Anaheim shot at a suspect in a washer and dryer machine burglary. Whether the suspect was hit isn't clear, but the suspect did manage to escape. That makes this the third person that has been shot at in Anaheim in less than a week.
This morning's shooting happened around 3:15 am after police received a report that there was a burglary in progress at a model home in a master-planned community. Police told City News Service that when officers arrived on the scene, they saw a washer and dryer in the middle of the roadway. It appeared to have been taken from a nearby model home.
As police were investigating, they said they spotted Abel Frank Armenta, 36, of Placentia leaving the building. Armenta took off on foot but a K-9 caught up with him and bit him. Armenta was arrested on suspicion of burglary and resisting arrest.
Police officers said they saw someone in a black pick-up truck nearby around the same time. When officers approached the truck, police say the driver—whose gender wasn't clear—attempted to run them over. Officers responded by shooting, according to CNS. The OC Weekly reported that police fired at the truck 19 times, although it's not clear who the source was for that number. The suspect got away, and police don't even know if the driver was even hit since no one has showed up to local hospitals with any bullet wounds.
A shooting like this morning's, where the suspect wasn't hit and managed to escape, would probably get less attention if it hadn't been for the other two shootings and protests in Anaheim this week. Officer-involved shootings aren't rare, and in Los Angeles city alone there were 63 last year, which represents a 58 percent increase from the year before.) Unlike this morning's shooting, the previous two officer-involved shootings in Anaheim were fatal. Manuel Diaz, 25, was shot and died a short while later on Saturday, and Joel Mathew Acevedo, 21, was shot on Sunday.
Diaz's death, the way police responded to his death (by doing very little in the immediate aftermath) and then the way that police responded to the community (firing rubber bullets and bean bags into a crowd of men, women and children) sparked four nights of protests in the city this week.
The events in Anaheim are getting international attention. Al-Jazeera English asked, "In the wake of the killing of an unarmed man in California, we ask if US policing is becoming increasingly militarised." The news organization dedicated a 35-minute roundtable to the issue with a panel that included OC Weekly editor Gustavo Arrellano:
Sponsored message
Related:
Photos: Anaheim Police Fire Rubber Bullets, Pepper Balls On Angry Crowd Protesting Officer-Involved Shooting
Police "restoring order" in Anaheim After Tense Night of Unrest, Arrests
Video: Watch The Immediate Aftermath Of The Officer-Involved Shooting in Anaheim (Graphic)
Anaheim Police at Center of Another Officer-Involved Shooting
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
