Officer Involved Shooting in Rampart NRF044-15fp

June 3, 2015 NRF044-15ne UPDATE Updated: The officer involved in the below incident has been identified as Police Officer II Mark Flores, Serial No. 40629.

Los Angeles: On May 26, 2015, around 10:00 p.m., Rampart Area patrol officers were in the area of 6th Street and Coronado Street when they were flagged down by two male pedestrians.

The pedestrians reported that they had encountered two white males who were armed with a handgun and threatened them. The victims directed the officers towards the 600 block of south Coronado Avenue where the suspects were located and identified.

The officers immediately issued commands to the suspects to stop, but they did not comply. One suspect, later identified as Jason Bangle crouched behind a vehicle with his hands in his waistband. Bangle refused to surrender and began to advance on one of the officers, resulting in an officer-involved-shooting. The second suspect, later identified as Craig Curry, was apprehended shortly thereafter without incident.

Los Angeles Fire Department Paramedics responded to the scene and transported Bangle to a local hospital where he was listed in critical, but stable condition. No officers were injured during this incident and a handgun was recovered at scene.

Note: Initial reports at the scene stated that the suspect pointed a handgun at the officers. As the investigation progressed, it was determined that the suspect did not point a handgun at the officers as was initially reported.

Force Investigation Division responded to the incident and will conduct a thorough investigation of the officer-involved-shooting. 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 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.