Officers Threatened by Armed Suspect after Traffic Stop Resulting in an Officer Involved Shooting NR11129bb

UPDATE
March 30, 2011

The officers who fired their weapons in the incident below have been identified:  Police Officer III Clement Toscano, 16 years and two months with the Department and Police Officer I Ryan Quiroga who has been with the Department for one year, 2 months.

Los Angeles:  On March 23, 2011, at about 2:25 p.m., uniformed Harbor Division officers were on routine patrol when they conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at King Avenue and F Street in the City of Wilmington.   

Immediately after the Ford Mustang stopped, a male suspect later identified as 26-year-old Eduardo Velasco, got out of the front passenger seat armed with a stainless steel semi-automatic handgun and ran south on King Avenue away from the officers.   The officers gave chase and followed Velasco to the 500 block of King Avenue where he jumped over a wrought iron fence.  The officers verbally ordered Velasco to stop and drop the gun.   Despite the officer’s orders to drop the gun, Velasco raised the handgun pointing it at the officers, resulting in an officer involved shooting.  Velasco dropped the gun and ran through an apartment complex where he was taken into custody without incident by responding officers.

There were no injuries as a result of the OIS.  A semi-automatic handgun was recovered at the scene.     

Force Investigation Division (FID) responded and are investigating the officer involved shooting.  The FID Criminal Apprehension Team is coordinating the criminal prosecution of the suspect.

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.