Officer-Involved Shooting in Wilshire NR13151ne

May 9, 2013
UPDATE
Updated:  The officers involved in the below incident have been identified as: Police Officers II Kenneth Snyder, and Brook Johnson.

Los Angeles: On May 1, 2013, around 6:20 p.m., Operation-West Bureau Violent Crime Task Force uniformed officers, were working a crime suppression detail in the Wilshire Area due to a recent increase in gang activity.

The officers were travelling westbound on 12th Street when they saw a silver pickup truck run a stop sign and then turn north onto West Boulevard.  The officers were following the vehicle when it suddenly turned into the driveway at 1182 West Boulevard and stop.  The officers deployed their vehicle directly behind the truck and saw the suspect, later identified as 18-year-old Arturo Estrada, exit the passenger door, reach back into the vehicle and remove a Tec-9 semi-automatic pistol.  Estrada pointed the weapon at the officers and an officer involved shooting (OIS) occurred.  Estrada fled eastbound down the driveway and out of sight of the officers.  The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Alex Melendez, was subsequently taken into custody without incident while a perimeter was established for Estrada.

Metropolitan Division SWAT and K-9 units responded and conducted a systematic search of the area and located Estrada hiding several residences north of where the OIS occurred where he was taken into custody without incident.

Neither Estrada nor the officers were injured.  A Tec-9 semi-automatic pistol was recovered from the driveway at 1182 West Boulevard.

Force Investigation Division detectives responded and are investigating the OIS.

The investigation will ultimately be reviewed by the Chief of Police, Office of the Inspector General and the 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 officer-involved shooting.

Anyone with information is asked to call Force Investigation Division 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.