Officer Fires at Suspect with Gun, No Injuries

Los Angeles: An officer fired at an armed juvenile suspect Friday evening in Pacific Area. No one was injured.

On June 15, 2007, around 10:40 p.m., Officer Sheldon Nicholson, 56, 13 years with the department, and his partner, responded to a radio call of a man with a gun. A citizen had reported seeing a man wearing a helmet riding a motorcycle. The motorcycle rider had been holding a gun.

As police arrived in the area of Regent Street and Greenfield Avenue, they saw the suspect run across Regent Street and hide behind a parked car on Greenfield Avenue. Officer Nicholson confronted the subject, later identified as a 14-year-old juvenile, who appeared from behind the car armed with the gun.

After the subject failed to respond to repeated commands to drop the weapon, Officer Nicholson fired a single round. The juvenile was not hit and immediately dropped his gun. The subject was taken into custody without further incident.

Moments after the shooting, another boy, 12, appeared from behind another car parked nearby. Officers determined that the two boys, wearing dark helmets, had been playing with replica air pistols.

No officers were injured. Both juveniles were interviewed and released to their parents.

Force Investigation Division responded to the scene and is handling the officer-involved-shooting investigation.