Officer-Involved Shooting Occurs during Narcotics Solicitation NR11224rf

***UPDATE***

The Central Area Narcotics Detective involved in the below officer involved shooting has been identified as Detective I Arthur Gamboa, who has been with the Department for 16 years and 1 month.

Los Angeles:  Undercover detectives conducting a narcotics investigation downtown were approached by a man who offered to sell one of them narcotics. During the transaction, the suspect told the undercover detective he would kill him and threatened his life with a 7-inch folding saw.

The attempted drug transaction happened on May 10, 2011, at about 12:20 p.m. in the vicinity of 5th and Spring Streets while detectives were monitoring the area for sales of narcotics.  The suspect was 51-year-old Dale Garrett, a transient and parolee at large who was a convicted felon with an extensive narcotics record.  Garrett approached the undercover officer and solicited a narcotics sale.  Garrett then verbally threatened to kill the detective while simultaneously retrieving a 7-inch folding saw resulting in an officer-involved shooting.

Detectives immediately requested medical assistance and additional police personnel.  Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics arrived and transported Garrett to a nearby hospital where he died from his injuries.  The LAPD Force Investigation Division (FID) also responded to the incident and is investigating 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 about this incident is urged to call FID Detective John Roeda 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 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.