Officer-Involved Shooting in West Valley Division NRF044-22bb

August 23, 2022

UPDATE

The officer involved in the below incident has been identified as Valley Traffic Division Police Officer II Jeffrey Smith, Serial No. 33504.

August 18, 2022

**The following information is based on a preliminary and ongoing investigation, which continues to evolve as investigators interview witnesses, review physical and electronic records, and analyze forensic evidence. The Department’s understanding of the facts and circumstances may change as additional evidence is collected and analyzed**

Los Angeles: Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) Force Investigation Division is investigating an Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS) in West Valley Division.

On August 17, 2022, at around 7:00 A.M., West Valley Patrol Division officers responded to a report of a man smoking narcotics and armed with a machete in the alley to the rear of a residence in the 17300 block of Sherman Way. Upon their arrival at scene, the officers located the suspect and ordered him to drop his machete. When the suspect refused, the officers broadcast a request for a back-up and followed him in their vehicle as he left the alley on a bicycle. The officers monitored the suspect as he rode through a residential neighborhood and were joined shortly thereafter by two Valley Traffic Division units. The suspect ultimately returned to the alley where the officers originally contacted him. As the officers continued to follow behind the suspect, he abruptly dismounted his bicycle and confronted one of the officers, while holding the machete, resulting in an Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS).

The suspect was struck by gunfire and taken into custody. He was subsequently transported by rescue ambulance to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

The suspect was later identified as 24-year-old Christian Arriola Gomez, a resident of Los Angeles.

No officers, victims, or bystanders were injured during this incident.

Arriola’s machete was recovered at scene and will be booked as evidence.

LAPD’s specialized Force Investigation Division responded to the scene and interviewed witnesses and supervised the collection of evidence by the Forensic Science Division.
The complete investigation will be reviewed by the Chief of Police, the Board of Police Commissioners, and the Office of the Inspector General to determine the thoroughness and accuracy of the investigation and whether the use of deadly force complied with LAPD’s policies and procedures. Additionally, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office who responded to the scene will review the subsequent FID investigation, evidence collected, and witness statements to determine if the force used by the officer was reasonable.