A man who police say is on parole for a murder conviction escaped after an eight-hour standoff with Los Angeles Police Department officers in South Los Angeles, police said Wednesday morning.
LAPD officers first responded to the 6800 block of Avalon Boulevard in South L.A.’s Florence neighborhood around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday for a report of a man allegedly armed with a gun, police said. Just after 5 a.m. the next morning, officers dressed in riot gear were still outside a business where the man allegedly barricaded himself and tried to take him into custody.
KCAL News
According to the LAPD, officers pursued the man when they first responded and found a long gun that he allegedly armed himself with. The agency said he dropped his driver’s license, and from there police identified him as a suspected parolee convicted of murder.
At 6 a.m., the LAPD confirmed the suspect had escaped the area and officers were unable to find him after a search of the business where he allegedly barricaded himself. Officers are still looking for him.
People living in the area were told to stay in their homes and shelter in place. Gil Villalobos, whose parents live nearby, said his parents stayed inside as they waited for the standoff to end. He also said he heard police had found a gun.
“They did find a shotgun that the man threw somewhere – we don’t know where,” Villalobos said.
LAPD has not released any other details as the investigation and search continues.
