Heavily Armed Suspect Points Gun at Police Officer Involved Shooting Occurred NR122450kr

Los Angeles:  A 35-year-old man armed with a revolver and a semi-automatic rifle pointed the revolver at approaching officers and an officer involved shooting (OIS) occurred.  A second OIS occurred when the suspect again pointed the revolver at officers.

On June 1, 2012, around 5:50 a.m., Hollenbeck Patrol Officers were called to the 2500 block of Houston Street to investigate reports of “Shots Fired”.

As the officers, Police Officer James Eldridge Police (22 years 6 months with the Department), Officer Jonathan Maldanado (7 years 4 months with the Department),  and Sergeant  Heriberto Arangure (17 years 1 month with the Department), were walking towards the location, they heard a gunshot.  Citizens in the area directed the officers to the suspect, Herman Ruvalcaba, inside a converted garage to the rear of the residence.  At one point Ruvalcaba opened the front door of the converted garage and pointed a revolver at the officers and an OIS occurred.  As the officers continued to tactically move towards Ruvalcaba lying prone and motionless on the ground, he suddenly extended the revolver toward the officers and a second OIS occurred.

Officers took him into custody without further incident and immediately called for medical assistance for Ruvalcaba who was shot during the OIS.  The Los Angeles City Fire Department paramedics responded and pronounced Ruvalcaba dead at scene.  No officers were injured during this incident.

A Smith & Wesson .357 revolver and an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle loaded with a 30-round magazine were recovered lying on the ground next to Ruvalcaba, who was on probation for possession of an assault rifle.  Force Investigation Division detectives responded and are investigating the OIS.

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.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call the FID at 213-486-5230. 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 Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers 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.