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Iraq War Veteran Kills Man, Rants About Obama And Hitler [UPDATED]
Photo by Peggy Archer via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
A Reseda man was taken into custody after shooting two people, killing one, and charging at officers while covered in blood and ranting about Barack Obama and Hitler.
The incident happened at 6:40 p.m. in an apartment on the 7200 block of Canby Avenue, ABC 7 reports. Police say the suspect was wildly shooting in different directions, killing a man and gravely injuring a woman. The suspect, who was shirtless and covered in blood when police arrived, charged at the cops with his hands up. Police tried to subdue him, but the suspect fought back and was eventually taken down with a Taser.
"I heard [the suspect] saying Hitler, Obama, and...terrorists and cops just got all over him. He was just fighting the whole way," Witness Erik Correa told ABC 7.
Two of the ten officers who had to bring him down were splashed with blood and had to be taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution. The motive for the crime or the relationship the man had with the victims are currently unknown.
UPDATE 3:10 P.M.: The suspect has been identified as Ricardo Javier Tapia, an Iraq War veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, ABC 7 reports. Tapia has been deployed numerous times and has a history of irrational behavior.
The woman who was shot was reported to be the property manager of the apartment building. The man who was killed was her husband. There is still no clear motive.
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