A man who Los Angeles police said had taken a hostage was fatally shot Friday night after an hours-long standoff at a downtown apartment complex, law enforcement officials said.
The hostage was not injured, officials said
The suspect was taken to a hospital and later confirmed dead, Los Angeles police said.
A musician across the street from the building videotaped the standoff and police response. The video appears to show a man with his arm around the neck of another person.
It’s not exactly clear what happened before or after the video, which seems to show officers entering the building and taking aim.
The situation unfolded late Friday afternoon when officers were called to reports of an assault with a deadly weapon in the city’s Historic Core, police said.
A suspect wanted in a series of violent incidents downtown, including a shooting at a business and an attempted carjacking, entered an apartment building and allegedly took a hostage before barricading himself inside a unit, according to law enforcement officials.
“While LAPD personnel were outside of the complex they saw through a window, the suspect holding a gun to the hostages head,” police said in a statement Friday night. “Based on the already incredibly violent actions & fearing the suspect was going to kill the hostage, SWAT entered the apartment.”
At least one officer opened fire, according to law enforcement officials, and the suspect was struck and died at the scene.
Los Angeles police said that the time between the initial calls to the area and the end of the standoff was nearly five hours.
Todd Miyazawa contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
