Suspect on Street Points Gun at Officers during Foot Pursuit Officer-Involved Shooting Occurs NR12012mjf

Los Angeles: A male suspect threatened police officers with a gun, resulting in an officer-involved shooting.

Shortly after 1:40 p.m. on Dec. 30, 2011, LAPD Rampart Area Police Officer III Able Munoz (17 years, five months with the Department) and Police Officer III Jason Abner (11 years, two months with the Department) were driving by in the area of 2nd Street and Union Place when they saw a suspect, who they believed to be a possible gang member. The officers attempted to stop the suspect when he ran from the officers.  The officers gave chase when the suspect suddenly stopped and pulled a handgun from his waistband.  At this point an officer involved shooting occurred.  The suspect was struck once in the upper torso and taken into custody.

Officers immediately requested medical assistance. LAFD personnel and transported the suspect to a local area hospital where he was listed in stable condition.  

A semi-automatic handgun was recovered at the scene and no officers were injured during the incident.

The LAPD Force Investigation Division responded to the incident and will conduct a thorough investigation of the officer-involved shooting and all related crimes.  The investigation will ultimately be reviewed by the Office of 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.