With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
DTLA Hostage Situation Ends With Fatal Police Shooting
Video filmed by Twitter user @_teddybomber across from the apartment captured the moments before and after LAPD SWAT officers entered the apartment and shot and killed a man who had taken a woman hostage at gunpoint.
(
Courtesy @_teddybomber
)
A violent crime spree in downtown Los Angeles Friday night ended with police shooting and killing a man who had allegedly committed a series of violent crimes before breaking into an apartment and holding a woman hostage.
The spree, which also shut down part of downtown as authorities responded, started shortly after 4 p.m. when police started getting calls reporting a man with a gun committing several crimes around 8th and Broadway.
"What we know now is that the suspect had initially approached a man on the sidewalk near 8th and Broadway," the LAPD said on its official Twitter account. "The suspect held a gun to the man’s face and pulled the trigger. Fortunately the gun did not fire.
LAPD officials said the same man shot at a family of three in a nearby business, grazing the head of a 14-year-old. In addition, they said they tied the man to an attempted carjacking of a woman at 7th and Spring Street and also said he tried to steal a man's bike.
Sponsored message
At that point, as police chased him, the man entered an apartment complex at 6th and Main. Surveillance footage showed the man in a "hallway armed with a gun forcing a female to come with him." After an hour-long standoff, SWAT teams entered the building.
Video posted on Twitter by @_teddybomber, taken from a building across from the apartment, shows the man pacing about while his hostage crouched on the floor. As SWAT teams entered the apartment, several shots are heard, prompting the man to grab the woman and drag her about.
In less than two minutes the tense situation comes to an end with officers shooting the man and rushing the hostage out of the apartment. The man died at the scene and the woman was taken to a hospital.
Authorities have not given details on her condition.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
