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'Jason Bourne-Style' Suspect Caught by LAPD in Arts District
A police street closure at 4th and Molino | Photo by Callie Miller/LAist
A police street closure at 4th and Molino | Photo by Callie Miller/LAist
Brian Alexik, the suspect who eluded police in a "Jason Bourne-style" escape last April, was arrested this afternoon following a standoff in downtown. Today's incident began in the morning around 8:30 a.m. on the 300 block of South Hewitt when the LAPD's major crimes unit was conducting a weapons violations investigation. It is unknown if it was related to Alexik or not at this point but by noon, police said Alexik had barricaded himself, prompting an area in the Arts District to be shut down. SWAT evacuated residents and businesses.
Alexik first came to light on April 19th when neighbors called the fire department after smelling chemical fumes in the Reserve Lofts on Olympic Boulevard. Upon arrival, he would not allow firefighters into his unit unless they had a search warrant. Police arrived and broke down the door, finding Alexik escaping "across a series of balconies" to a stairway, according to America's Most Wanted.
In the apartment, police found weapons, multiple fake passports and IDs, counterfeiting equipment with high quality counterfeit bills, a gas powered generator, among other odd items like a floor mosaic of the CIA seal and a portrait of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Windows in the apartment faced the U.S. Treasury on Grand Avenue.
In the search for the 33-year-old, police caught up with Alexik's friend Gregory Koller, who was seen on building surveillance videos carrying large bags used to carry rifles. A raid on Koller's home revealed an AK-47 assault rifle and methamphetamine, leading investigators to tie Alexik to the crystal meth trade.
Today's arrest is thought to have taken place at the home of Alexik's girlfriend.
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