Gang Member Points Gun at Officer, Resulting in OIS

 
Hollenbeck – – On December 5, 2002, at approximately 6:00 p.m., two uniformed officers assigned to Hollenbeck Patrol Division were on patrol in the area of Cornwell Street and Caesar Chavez Boulevard, when they observed a male Hispanic, dressed in gang attire, walking northwest in the roadway toward a location on the 300 block of North Cornwell Street. The officers had prior knowledge that this particular location on Cornwell Street was a gang location and the residence of a known gang member. As the suspect looked in the direction of the officers, one of the officers, Officer Lowe, recognized the suspect from prior contacts as a gang member who was on parole.
The suspect immediately turned from the officers, placed his hands in his waistband and ran to the west sidewalk of Cornwell Street then ran north on the sidewalk. The officers pursued the suspect in their black and white police vehicle. The suspect stopped several houses north of the Cornwell residence then ran south on the west sidewalk, with his hands still in his waistband. The driver officer stopped the police vehicle, exited and pursued the suspect on the sidewalk. Officer Lowe, the passenger officer, exited the vehicle and pursued the suspect in the roadway, ordering the suspect to stop. Both officers believed the suspect was attempting to retrieve a handgun from his waistband and drew their service weapons.
As the suspect ran south, past the Cornwell Street location, he removed a semi-automatic handgun from his waistband and pointed it one of the officers. Officer Isaac Lowe (Serial No. 34414, 27 years old, 5 years with the Department) in fear for his partner’s life, fired two rounds from his service pistol, striking the suspect. The suspect fell to the ground, incapacitated.
The suspect was taken into custody and a Rescue Ambulance was summoned. Paramedics pronounced the suspect dead at the scene. A loaded semi-automatic handgun dropped by the suspect was recovered at the scene. A subsequent search of the suspect revealed another loaded semi-automatic pistol, with laser sights, in his waistband. The suspect’s identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. He is a 26 year-old male Hispanic.
No officers were injured as a result of this incident. Robbery-Homicide and Critical Incident Investigation Divisions are handling the on-going investigation into this incident. A concurrent investigation is being conducted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Lieutenant Horace Frank, Officer in Charge, Media Relations Section,
213-485-3586, prepared this release.