Officer Involved Shooting Occurs in North Hollywood Area NR11228cj

UPDATE

May 18, 2011

The North Hollywood Area officer involved in the below officer involved shooting has been identified as Police Officer II Angel Romero, who has been with the Department for two years and 5 months.

UPDATE

May 17, 2011

On May 16, 2011 at 1:40 p.m., LAPD Force Investigation Division Criminal Apprehension Team Investigators arrested 22-year-old Anthony Rodriguez with the assistance of the LAPD/FBI Fugitive Task Force. Rodriguez, a resident of North Hollywood is the suspect of the Officer Involved Shooting that occurred on Saturday, May 14. Rodriguez was taken into custody as he walked to his vehicle, a white Nissan Maxima, which was used in the crime and seized as evidence.

Los Angeles:  LAPD Force investigation Division is investigating an Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) that took place in a bar parking lot in North Hollywood.

On May 14, 2011, at around 3:21 a.m. North Hollywood Area officers observed a group fighting in a parking lot of a bar in the 6400 block of Lankershim Boulevard.  As the officers got out of their patrol car near the entrance of the lot, a man driving a Nissan Maxima abruptly drove out of the lot in reverse running over a pedestrian and hitting the front end of the officers’ car.  The driver, in an attempt to escape, drove forward toward the south end of the parking lot but was approached on foot by a uniformed police officer.  The officer, with his gun drawn, ordered the driver to stop and he did momentarily.  As the officer continued to approach the car, the suspect reached out and grabbed the officer’s gun.  The officer managed to wrestle his gun away but fell next to the suspect’s car.  The driver continued forward and the officer, in fear of being run over, fired his weapon at the suspect.

The suspect drove away from the scene and is still outstanding.  It is not known if the suspect or his car was hit during the OIS.  LAFD Rescue personnel responded and transported the injured victim to a local hospital where he is in critical condition.  The officer sustained minor injuries as a result of this incident.   

LAPD Force Investigation Division (FID) responded to the scene and took over the investigation. Valley Traffic Division is handling the felony hit-and-run traffic collision.   

The investigation will ultimately be reviewed by the Chief of Police, the Office of the Inspector General and Board of Police Commissioners for compliance with the Department’s use-of-force policy which states that an officer’s use-of-force actions must be objectively reasonable.  Additionally, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division will conduct a comprehensive review of the facts of the OIS.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call FID Detective Ben Fernandez at 213-486-5201. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247).  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.