Man Arrested after Short Pursuit

Los Angeles: Los Angeles police arrested a man for possession of narcotics for sale on the morning of March 15, 2007, after the man led police on a short pursuit, then resisted arrest.

Officers assigned to the Southwest police station noticed a driver commit a traffic violation near 41st Street and Western Avenue. When they attempted to detain the car, the driver continued to drive at a slow rate of speed until he stopped in front of 645 West 42nd Street.

The driver, Frederick Shelton, 42, got out of the car and walked toward the residence, ignoring the officers’ commands. A person came out of the residence just as Shelton approached the door. Not knowing Shelton’s intentions, Officer Alex Lin, 41, fired several bean bag rounds, striking Shelton in the back and buttocks.

“Given Shelton’s behavior, the officers were concerned that he might pose a risk to the persons inside the home, or try to harm the person who walked out the door,” said LAPD spokesman Lieutenant Paul Vernon.

Additional officers converged on Shelton and detained him before he could enter the home.

Officers booked Shelton on the narcotics charge at the medical jail ward of the Los Angeles County USC Medical Center for observation after he began to show symptoms possibly related to narcotics poisoning.

Investigators from the Force Investigation Division will conduct an investigation into the use of force. No officers were injured in the arrest.

Officer Lin is a 13-year veteran of the LAPD.

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